Can Alternative Payment Models Save Primary Care?

The concept of “primary care” became widely accepted in the 1960s as part of a broader acknowledgment that as medical care migrated from the once-dominant setting of the home to offices and hospitals, a surge of programs that promoted the value of general medical care was needed to help the generalist whose ro le was both economically and politically marginalized by specialties with higher compensation and stronger presence within academic departments. Medicare was introduced in 1965, the same year several reports were published by the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Medical Asso ciation calling for generalist physicians to be at the center of the health system. Concomitantly, as the complexity of medical care increased, there was an important need for a trusted clinician who could have an important role in prevention and wellness, accurate diagnosis and treatment, and coord ination of complex care and who could maintain an emphasis on high-quality, person-centered care.
Source: JAMA - Category: General Medicine Source Type: research