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Article: Nation sorely lacking primary care physicians.(Perspective)(Letter to the editor)
- Article from:
- Albany Times Union (Albany, NY)
- Article date:
- November 26, 2006
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Albany Times Union. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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John Abramson's Nov. 12 Perspective commentary, "Diagnosis for health care is bleak," contains a point that deserves particular attention. That is, that the relative paucity of primary care physicians in our health care system contributes to higher costs.
Data show that states with greater numbers of primary care physicians per capita incur lower Medicaid costs relative to their populations. Despite this, our health care system gives medical students little reason to choose a primary care specialty, and the rate of students selecting careers in primary care has been declining.
Fixing the reimbursement system to better recognize the vital role of primary care ...