Primary care teams: are we there yet? Implications for workforce planning.

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Healthcare Policy
• Medical Workforce Studies

Background:

• Predicted physician shortages necessitate innovative healthcare delivery models.
• Team-based primary care, including patient-centered medical homes and accountable care organizations, is being explored as a solution.
• Existing models vary in structure, encompassing both specialist and primary care teams.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine existing team-based clinical care delivery models.
• To identify barriers to the large-scale adoption of these models.
• To determine if team-based primary care should be central to physician workforce planning.

Main Methods:

• Exploration of current team-based care models.
• Analysis of regulatory, financial, and cultural barriers.
• Consideration of nonphysician provider scope of practice.

Main Results:

• Team-based primary care models may enhance patient outcomes.
• Limited data currently suggest these models significantly reduce the need for additional physicians.
• Barriers include regulatory, financial, cultural, and scope of practice issues.

Conclusions:

• Further research is essential to evaluate the effectiveness of team-based models in alleviating provider deficits.
• Policy should support the ideal healthcare system while also expanding the physician workforce.
• Current physician workforce expansion is necessary to meet existing healthcare demand.