As patients enter the healthcare system, primary care is typically their first stop. Because of this, primary care clinicians have a unique opportunity to develop relationships with patients and communities. This also enables them to get a glimpse of the hardships that a particular patient or group of patients is dealing with and see how that can affect their overall well-being. As the healthcare system, and primary care in particular, shifts away from a transactional system, to one more focused on high quality, comprehensive care, these outside factors that often play a significant role in patients’ lives must be accounted for.
The CDC defines health disparities as preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by socially disadvantaged populations. It defines the social determinants of health as conditions in the places where people live, learn, work, and play. While several of these factors or locations fall out of the traditional sphere of primary care, a well-organized and coordinated primary care team should have the resources to help patients beyond their medical needs.
Title | Source | Date |
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Rising health costs and economic inequality may threaten your retirement | PBS News Hour | February 8, 2018 |
The Health 202: Trump administration pulls back from key Medicare goals | February 20, 2018 | |
Protecting America's Primary Care Safety Net | February 23, 2018 | |
Primary Care Transformation Across The Largest Safety-Net Health System In The United States | February 27, 2018 | |
Healthcare is moving from episodic to 'life-based care' | Healthcare IT News | March 5, 2018 |
The problem with lack of emphasis on primary care in healthcare | March 5, 2018 | |
New Alzheimer’s Association report reveals sharp increases in prevalence, deaths, costs of care | March 21, 2018 | |
Aetna, Harvard Partner for Population Health Research Initiative | Health IT Analytics | April 13, 2018 |
Why health care costs are making consumers more afraid of medical bills than an actual illness | April 22, 2018 | |
Is Direct Primary Care a Game Changer? | JAMA Network | May 2, 2018 |