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The Article in Brief
The Chief Primary Care Medical Officer: Restoring Continuity
Noemi Doohan , and colleagues
Background When patients are admitted to the hospital, their connection to their primary care physician is often disrupted, leading to difficult transitions of care, readmissions, higher costs, and worse health outcomes. In this essay, two family physicians propose a solution.
What This Study Found The authors call for the creation of the hospital chief primary care medical officer. This primary care physician would lead hospital efforts to create systems that ensure the primary care continuum is complete, even for complex patients. The position could be funded by savings that arise from improved value, the authors suggest, particularly as health care systems shift away from a focus on volume towards a focus on value.
Implications
- The authors call for a health care system that supports a trusting primary care relationship at critical junctures in individuals' lives.