James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital | VA Tampa Health Care | Veterans Affairs
primary physician :: Article Creator Primary Care In Crisis: A Physician's Take On Reform Source: Imtmphoto/Shutterstock This blog reviews how the role of primary care practice has diminished greatly over the past 40 years. When I became a physician in the 1980's primary care medicine entailed a physician specializing in pediatrics, family medicine, or internal medicine who served as the main point of contact for a panel of patients. The primary care physician evaluated patients for their annual check-ups, monitored patients with chronic conditions, and was also available for same-day or same-week visits when someone was sick. The primary care physician was able to address more than 90% of the care of sick patients in their clinic, and occasionally would refer patients for evaluation by a specialist. In rare cases, when the required level of care could not be handled in the clinic, such as when a patient required intrav...
