Premise Health’s National Medical Director Ed Schwartz, M.D., Publishes Medical Economics Editorial on Advanced Primary Care

In his editorial for Medical Economics, “Never enough primary care: A physician’s approach to designing health benefits,” Premise Health’s National Medical Director Ed Schwartz, M.D., shared his perspective as a physician on why advanced primary care is the simple fix for the biggest healthcare challenges facing the modern workforce.  

Drawing from industry reporting by Kaiser Family Foundation, the Human Resources & Services Administration, and AMN Healthcare, Dr. Schwartz asserts that with consistent annual increases in appointment wait times, rising family premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance, and a growing shortage of primary care physicians, healthcare in America is in crisis. 

As Premise’s national medical director and former family medicine physician, Dr. Schwartz’s experience has shown him that primary care works: 

“It’s been proven: Primary care is one of the few things in our health care system that actually improves outcomes. It should be radically prioritized… When employers enable access to primary care by providing it at a free or low cost, employees benefit from improved health and lower overall health care costs.” 

For Dr. Schwartz, if greater access to primary care is the first step, the end goal for organizations is to prioritize implementing an advanced primary care solution. By blending together primary care, behavioral health, pharmacy, and care navigation, he shares that this model works by encouraging meaningful relationships with providers and allowing better coordination amongst physicians for comprehensive care. 

To round out the article, Dr. Schwartz discusses what’s next for employers after they’ve established primary care as the cornerstone to better health, exploring alternative health plans that prioritize access to primary care and encourage employees to seek care proactively.  

Continue reading in Medical Economics.