The Primary Reason

I recently read an article posted by The Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio, stating that physicians are 'stunned' at how many individuals do not have a primary care doctor.

An alarming number of people who test positive for COVID-19 don't have a primary care doctor. It's now putting a strain on hospitals to pair patients up with a primary care doctor. The article stated.

I am stunned that they are stunned. The primary reason that individuals do not have a primary care physician is the total lack of access to that individual. When is the last time you called your primary care physician and were able to get an appointment on short notice? It happens rarely - if ever. Many people wait months to see their primary physician. When you finally do get in, many times, not by your choice, you are greeted by a Physician's Assistant or Nurse Practitioner. Primary care physicians have become very elusive. They have replaced themselves, or been replaced, with PAs, NPs, and urgent care.

My adult son recently pulled a muscle in his shoulder. He called his primary physician. His doctor had an appointment available in two weeks. So, does one wait in pain for two weeks to see their primary? Of course not. They go to a Total Access Urgent Care or a 'Doc in the Box' at the grocery store. The medical community can't have it both ways. If they want individuals to have a primary care doctor, these doctors need to be available. Why does one need a primary that you do not have access to when you can walk into an urgent care at any time and see a medical doctor?

Years ago, individuals established relationships with primary care physicians. When one entered a hospital, your doctor was the conduit for the care you received. Primary doctors have been replaced by hospitalists. My elderly dad was in the hospital a few years back. He mentioned several times, 'Dr. Burns (his primary) should be here soon.' I said, 'Dad, doctors don't come to hospitals anymore.' He replied, 'That doesn't make any sense.' Exactly. Nothing would have made my dad feel better than to see his primary during a stressful hospital stay. And, it would have given our family comfort to recognize one physician in the hospital setting instead of the constant turnstile of physicians, residents, hospitalists, PAs, and NPs. A patient ends up being treated by so many people but not once by the primary person they know and trust.

Is the primary of primary importance if they have limited availability for appointments, limited or no access to hospitals, and PAs and NPs acting on their behalf a great percentage of the time? There may be a reason a significant number of individuals do not have a primary care doctor.