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Implementing High-Quality Primary Care

Rebuilding the Foundation of Health Care

; Editors: Sarah K. Robinson, Marc Meisnere, Robert L. Phillips, Jr., and Linda McCauley.

Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); .
ISBN-13: 978-0-309-68510-8ISBN-10: 0-309-68510-9

High-quality primary care is the foundation of the health care system. It provides continuous, person-centered, relationship-based care that considers the needs and preferences of individuals, families, and communities. Without access to high-quality primary care, minor health problems can spiral into chronic disease, chronic disease management becomes difficult and uncoordinated, visits to emergency departments increase, preventive care lags, and health care spending soars to unsustainable levels.

Unequal access to primary care remains a concern, and the COVID-19 pandemic amplified pervasive economic, mental health, and social health disparities that ubiquitous, high-quality primary care might have reduced. Primary care is the only health care component where an increased supply is associated with better population health and more equitable outcomes. For this reason, primary care is a common good, which makes the strength and quality of the country's primary care services a public concern.

Implementing High-Quality Primary Care: Rebuilding the Foundation of Health Care puts forth an evidence-based plan with actionable objectives and recommendations for implementing high-quality primary care in the United States. The implementation plan of this report balances national needs for scalable solutions while allowing for adaptations to meet local needs.

Contents

This activity was supported by contracts between the National Academy of Sciences and the Academic Pediatric Association, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Board of Pediatrics, American College of Physicians, American Geriatrics Society, Blue Shield of California, The Commonwealth Fund, Family Medicine for America's Health, Health Resources and Services Administration, New York State Health Foundation, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, Samueli Foundation, Society of General Internal Medicine, and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.

Suggested citation:

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. Implementing high-quality primary care: Rebuilding the foundation of health care. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25983.

Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/25983

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021937669

Additional copies of this publication are available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313; http://www.nap.edu.

Printed in the United States of America

Copyright 2021 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Bookshelf ID: NBK571810PMID: 34251766DOI: 10.17226/25983

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