Page "Primary care physician" Paragraph 14

Causes parallel the evolutionary changes occurring in the US medical system: payment based on quantity of services delivered, not quality ; aging of the population increases the prevalence and complexity of chronic health conditions, most of which are handled in primary care settings ; and increasing emphasis on life-style changes and preventative measures, often poorly covered by health insurance or not at all.

In 2004, the median income of specialists in the US was twice that of PCPs, and the gap is widening.

Discontent by practicing primary care internists is discouraging trainees from entering primary care ; in a 2007 survey of 1, 177 graduating US medical students, only 2 % planned to enter a general internal medicine career, and lifestyle was emphasized over the higher subspecialty pay in their decision.

Primary care practices in the United States increasingly depend on foreign medical graduates to fill depleted ranks.