There is a persistent primary care gap in which roughly 30-50%* of an employer’s population (typically the most vulnerable) do not have a primary care relationship. This means that a substantial portion of an employer’s membership are not actively engaged in their care, leaving chronic conditions either undiagnosed or unmanaged, healthcare needs being unmet and actions towards achieving overall better health not taken. In addition, this population has no accessible health “safety net” so they tend to utilize much more expensive care that is avoidable without long term benefits – emergency room, urgent care and specialist care to name a few. Finally, when members want to engage in primary care as a new patient, they typically spend endless time on the phone scheduling a visit and have to wait many weeks to actually get into see a provider which is not conducive to closing the primary care gap.
*NPR, “As Out-Of-Pocket Health Costs Rise, Insured Adults Are Seeking Less Primary Care”