Implementing High-Quality Primary Care

High-quality primary care is the foundation of the health care system. It provides continuous, person-centered, relationship-based care that considers the needs and preferences of individuals, families, and communities. Without access to high-quality primary care, minor health problems can spiral into chronic disease, chronic disease management becomes difficult and uncoordinated, visits to emergency departments increase, preventive care lags, and health care spending soars to unsustainable levels. Unequal access to primary care remains a concern, and the COVID-19 pandemic amplified pervasive economic, mental health, and social health disparities that ubiquitous, high-quality primary care might have reduced. Primary care is the only health care component where an increased supply is associated with better population health and more equitable outcomes. For this reason, primary care is a common good, which makes the strength and quality of the country's primary care services a public concern. Implementing High-Quality Primary Care: Rebuilding the Foundation of Health Care puts forth an evidence-based plan with actionable objectives and recommendations for implementing high-quality primary care in the United States. The implementation plan of this report balances national needs for scalable solutions while allowing for adaptations to meet local needs. Table of ContentsFront MatterAbstractSummary1 A New Vision for Primary Care2 Defining High-Quality Primary Care Today3 Primary Care in the United States: A Brief History and Current Trends4 Person-Centered, Family-Centered, and Community-Oriented Primary Care5 Integrated Primary Care Delivery6 Designing Interprofessional Teams and Preparing the Future Primary Care Workforce7 Digital Health and Primary Care8 Primary Care Measures and Use: Powerful, Simple, Accountable9 Payment to Support High-Quality Primary Care10 Enhancing Research in Primary Care11 The Committee's Approach to an Implementation Strategy12 A Plan for Implementing High-Quality Primary CareAppendix A: Committee Member, Fellow, and Staff BiographiesAppendix B: Primary Care: America's Health in a New Era Report RecommendationsAppendix C: Committee's Calculations to Determine the Impact of the Decreased Density of Primary Care Physicians Between 2005 and 2015Appendix D: Three System-Level Tables of Actors and ActionsAppendix E: The Health of Primary Care: A U.S. Scorecard