Changes in US Primary Care Access and Capabilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic
In this cohort study, over the time period including the COVID-19 pandemic, primary care practices reported a decline in access to care, while average practice capabilities improved. Integrated practice ownership and ACO participation were both associated with better access and capability scores, suggesting that value-based payment and integrated care delivery support the development of higher-quality primary care. Variations across practices point to large opportunities for improvement overall and underscore the importance of incentives and structures as levers to improve primary care delivery.
Authors
- Hector P. Rodríguez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6564-2229)
- Ellesse-Roselee Akré (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2380-6344)
- Matthew Mackwood (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4508-8267)
- Stephen M. Shortell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7392-9801)
- Karen E. Schifferdecker (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2558-4885)
- A. James O’Malley (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8389-6217)
- R Schmidt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-4383-6467)
- Ching‐Wen Yang
- Elliott S. Fisher (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9571-4879)
Institutions
- Dartmouth College (US)
- Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice (US)
- Johns Hopkins University (US)
- University of California, Berkeley (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- JAMA Health Forum
- Published
- 2025-02-07
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1001/jamahealthforum.2024.5237
- Citations
- 9
- Primary Topic
- Primary Care and Health Outcomes
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 25.34
Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality