The Primary Care Shortage, the Uninsured and It’s Impact on Chronic Diseases Presented by: Vernice Davis Anthony President and CEO Greater Detroit Area Health Council (GDAHC) October 14, 2010

About the Greater Detroit Area Health Council (GDAHC) Regional multi-stakeholder organization representing over 65 companies and organizations Mission focus on health care quality, access and cost Long history of sustainability and regional effectiveness Influences change through partnership and collaboration Regional and national credibility and visibility

GDAHC Vision and Mission Vision for Southeastern Michigan Healthy people, healthy economy GDAHC Mission Uniting and leveraging stakeholders to drive collaborative improvements in healthcare quality, cost effectiveness and access to care across southeast Michigan.

The Problem : Primary Care Shortage Projections indicate that Michigan will face a shortage of physicians by 2020. Growth in the demand for physicians will outpace growth in the supply of physicians. What’s Happening? Increase in the number of elderly Aging physician workforce Rising demand for healthcare services Decline in the number of medical students entering primary care

Feeling the Strain The elderly, the poor, rural residents, and residents who are already medically underserved would face even greater challenges as a result of a physician shortage. Limited or lack of access Further distances to travel to reach a doctor Long wait times

Feeling the Strain – The Uninsured The uninsured receive less preventive care and recommended screenings than the insured. Receiving needed care is especially important for the uninsured since they are generally not as healthy as those with private coverage. Adults who have been uninsured for more than one year are three to four times more likely to have not received recommended breast cancer screenings or to have not had their blood pressure checked. Source: Kaiser Family Foundation, kkf.org

Feeling the Strain – The Uninsured The new health reform law will strengthen coverage for preventive care and aims to improve health care coordination, which will help the uninsured gain access to needed services once they become insured. Source: Kaiser Family Foundation, kkf.org However, experts warn that there will not be enough doctors to take care of the newly insured.

Will Healthcare Reform Help? The healthcare law contains numerous provisions to: improve access by increasing the supply of needed health workers, particularly primary care practitioners increase efficiency and effectiveness by encouraging systems redesign address problems of mal-distribution

Will Healthcare Reform Help? Improve the quality of care through improved education and training Establish an infrastructure to collect and disseminate better data and information to inform public and private decision making around the supply, education and training and use of health workers

Solutions and Opportunities The utilization of physician assistants and nurse practitioners The implementation of patient-centered medical homes The coordinated expansion of healthcare coverage to the uninsured as a result of healthcare reform A change in attitude of medical students regarding primary care Increase in payment and incentives for primary care through payment reform

Local Opportunities Michigan Primary Care Consortium Greater Detroit Area Health Council Detroit Wayne County Health Authority Others?

Thank you.