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There can be little debate that good, routine primary care improves health, and that people who are engaged in their care have better outcomes. As we look to address issues such as combating obesity, advancing greater racial and ethic health care equity, and promoting a better system of integrated care – the three priority focus areas of the Aetna Foundation – I believe that a strong primary care foundation is essential to making progress in these areas. That is why I am sharing with you the results of a study I recently published in the May Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved with a former colleague at The Commonwealth Fund, Susan Hernandez, MPA. We found that patients who report having a regular doctor, either at a community health center or at a private physician's office, report receiving better quality health care and have a better health care experience, than patients who have a regular place of care, but lack an established physician relationship. I believe this study demonstrates the importance of the primary care relationship for giving patients high quality care. It underscores the urgent need to encourage more physicians to pursue careers in primary care through more competitive public and private program reimbursement, expanded testing, study and implementation of medical homes, and increased support for primary care training programs. Some indicators showed that community health centers do not perform as well as other types of health care institutions, or as well as private physician practices, in patients' reports of quality. However our analysis shows that when community health center patients have a regular doctor, their care is significantly improved and they are as likely as others to report receiving preventive care and having positive patient experiences. So the problems with quality in community health centers can be eliminated when patients have a personal physician. The study is available online. Best regards,
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