In most of the world's rich democracies, about 2/3 of all the doctors focus on primary care; about 1/3 are specialists. The U.S. has this backward. There are twice as many specialists --cardiologists, radiologists, dermatologists, neurosurgeons, etc. -- as there are primary care doctors--that is, family doctors, pediatricians, and general internists. And this upside-down ratio turns out to be a key reason that the U.S. pays twice as much for health care as the other developed countries. We must get control over the spiraling cost of health care in this country. And we could, if we put more emphasis on primary care. In a series of seminars around the country, primary care doctors have explained what they do and how their work contributes to better health care at lower cost. The author and documentary film maker T. R. Reid was Moderator of these sessions. Here is his report on what he learned.
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