Small Independent Primary Care Practices Serving Socially Vulnerable Urban Populations

Here is a coherent story of an important subset of family practices in the US--an affirmation of the adage that we humans need words to know and stories to understand. Peering through the careful descriptions are revelations of small being beautiful, autonomy of a value-driven practice being sacred, medicine being a calling. From a policy perspective, perhaps one of the most important contributions of this research is claimed in the introduction with "In federal policy discussions, FQHCs have become synonymous with primary care for the socially vulnerable." At once this claim is something for which to be grateful--a place in federal policy making that makes a difference and should be protected, but also an indictment that leads to overlooking the large number of non-FQHC primary care practices making crucial contributions to the care of the under-resourced people in need. Where can one go to define and implement policies to enable the non-FQHC practices committed to meeting the needs of everyone in their communities? What agency identifies them, announces their needs, and agitates for policies to help them thrive?