Primary Care Crisis

As you may or may not know, America's healthcare system consistently ranks lower than 40th in the World Health Organization's rankings of health statistics. Many Americans believe that we, the most powerful country in the world, also have the best doctors, best treatments, and best health-outcomes. Sadly, that statement is far from the truth.

One of the reasons behind our poor ranking is the lack of primary care that Americans receive . Fewer medical students are going into a career as a family physician either in big cities or in small, rural American towns. Because of this, illnesses go un-treated and diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes go un-diagnosed. Early detection and treatment of high blood pressure can add 5 more years to a person's lifespan.

To me, it's no wonder that fewer of us medical students go into primary care after graduation. We're getting not-so-stable cues from those already on the front line.

A survey conducted by Physicians Practice magazine last year asked primary care physicians nationwide how they felt about their initial decision to practice family medicine:

"Only 39.5 percent said they would follow the same career track; 38.7 percent said they would have chosen to become surgical or diagnostic specialists; and 21.8 percent replied that they wouldn't have gone into medicine at all. "