America's Current Healthcare Problem - The "Gatekeeper"
Healthcare in America is outrageously expensive, inefficient, and, frankly, ineffective. The more money spent on insurance often does not equate to better care. Traditional U.S. healthcare has largely settled into "gatekeeper" primary care, where a primary care physician or mid-level serves as the first-contact provider for all health concerns, referring to external specialists on an as-needed basis. While this model, in theory, could prevent unnecessary specialist consultation, in 2022, most primary care visits within the insurance model are restricted to a fraction of the time they once were. What can primary care providers possibly accomplish in 15 minutes, once per year, in a severely unhealthy & complex population? With only ~12% of physicians choosing family medicine, it is estimated that there will be a primary care physician shortage of ~56,000 by 2025.(1) Just to reiterate - that’s 3 years away! But who can blame physicians for not wanting to choose to practice in this impracticable model?
America's Current Healthcare Problem - The "Silos"
This traditional model has created healthcare "silos", where each clinical specialist works exclusively within their specialty, with very little interdisciplinary communication & collaboration. This lack of communication is negatively affecting the care we receive - I’ve personally experienced it and have seen the detrimental impact it’s had on my patients. When ortho exclusively does ortho, GI exclusively does GI, etc. and each specialist fails to consider the patient as a complete, complex person (especially when interdisciplinary communication is null), subtle red flags and other important factors get missed.
A Solution!
While many family medicine physicians are choosing different paths - direct primary care (a membership-based direct to consumer model), direct to employer, academia, or leaving medicine altogether, there may be another alternative. One solution to this is team-based primary care, which the World Health Organization (WHO) has been promoting for years. In the team-based model, your primary healthcare needs are met by a team of professionals which may include, a physician, mid-level, nurse, behavioral health specialist, clinical pharmacist, physical therapist and dietician. Imagine - you go in for your annual primary care visit and instead of simply being told to lose weight, manage stress, and eat better, you’re actually provided an opportunity to meet with professionals who can give you legitimate solutions to meet your unique needs. You feel supported, motivated, and valued…
At Redefine Health Education, we believe that every individual should have the opportunity to address their health concerns and achieve their goals by working with a specialized care team at the primary care level.
Primary Care Physical Therapy
For physical therapists to play a key role in the team, it is essential to have both the knowledge & skills to guide patient care and the ability to communicate effectively with the healthcare team. Practicing primary care physical therapy requires in-depth knowledge of differential diagnosis, triage, non-critical and critical decision making, across body systems and across the lifespan. The neuromusculoskeletal system interacts with the whole body - cardiovascular, pulmonary, reproductive, gastrointestinal, lymphatic, endocrine & integumentary systems must be considered. Elevating education to treat the complete patient is essential for the profession and serves as a foundation for primary care physical therapy.
Educate Yourself!
To take your practice to the next level, join Redefine Health Education at the ‘Foundations of Primary Care PT: A Hands-On Workshop’ course on August 27 & 28, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. You will enhance your skills in systems review, medical screening, clinical decision making, assessment and management of adults presenting with functional complaints related to any pathology. Instructors will cover how to properly identify signs & symptoms that may be outside the scope of physical therapist management, including cardiovascular & pulmonary, gastrointestinal, urogenital, neurologic, traumatic orthopedic, & psychiatric conditions. Skills lab includes heart & lung auscultation, vitals assessment, neurologic exam, abdominal exam, oral cancer screening, case-based breakouts, basic management of non-communicable diseases, and interdisciplinary communication. This is an essential course for any physical therapist looking to provide better complete patient care.
Continuing Education Courses
Sign up here for the Glenview (Chicago), Illinois Primary Care course on 8/27 & 8/28/22:
Sign Up here for Master Musculoskeletal Imaging Certification: https://www.redefinehealthed.com/imaging
References
Trends in US Medical School Contributions to the Family Physician Workforce: 2018 Update From the American Academy of Family Physicians. Julie P. Phillips, MD, MPH | Andrea Wendling, MD | Ashley Bentley, MBA | Rae Marsee, MBA | Christopher P. Morley, PhD. Fam Med. 2019;51(3):241-250.DOI:10.22454/FamMed.2019.395617
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