A growing number of Americans cannot access primary care when it is needed, so they turn to urgent care and telehealth to fill the gaps — but some experts worry they may stop seeking care entirely, Medscape reported April 29.
A Physicians Foundation and Milbank Memorial Fund report found 29% of adults and 14% of children do not have a regular source of care. Many looking for care face waits of six to nine months for a new patient appointment, and established patients can wait days or weeks for a sick visit. One-third of Medicare beneficiaries wait more than a month to see a physician, a report from research firm the Commonwealth Fund found.
"I went to urgent care, and that became my primary care," one woman told Medscape. "I can't wait five days or a week and a half. Unless I have bigger issues, like I need tests, I'm not even going to go to primary care."
A 2023 study found the proportion of primary care preventive visits increased over the past 20 years, but so did the number of sick visits being diverted to urgent care.
Retail clinics, urgent care and telehealth help close the gap but do not offer the same benefits as a physician who is familiar with the patient and patient's history.
The current shortage of primary care providers is 13,000, and that number is expected to skyrocket to 68,000 by 2036, the Health Resources and Services administration found. Although states and schools are pushing for more residency positions in primary care, there is little to incentivize medical trainees into pursuing primary care, one expert told Medscape.