Challenges of Family Practices in Today’s Health Care System
All businesses face challenges and struggles but with today’s health care system and its complexity the challenges that family practices face are great and even numerous. It is often difficult to maintain viability. Just attempting to generate the understanding of a family practice can be a struggle in itself.
There are many flaws in the health care systems that we have today. These flaws work in favor of family practice doctors if they are able to improve the results for patients. Family practices and family medicine in general are in need of a major overhaul. Family practice doctors will raise to the final victory as they display their deep concern for the patients overall well being.
Family practices are unique and a specialty all of their own. However, family practice doctors have wanted to remain unnamed and unlabeled along with a class of other specialists and physicians. Another big challenge and probably the biggest is the fact that family practice doctors have yet to gain the respect that they deserve. They are sometimes looked at as second rate doctors especially within their academic circle. Although it truly is a specialized field, it is generally not supported nor endorsed. Family practices and family practice doctors need to gain recognition and support because they have truly been the medical backbone for centuries.
Today, many people believe that family practice doctors are old fashioned and not equipped to handle newer medicine. That actually holds no weight within the medical profession itself.
Family practice physicians are experts in their own field. They handle common complaints, diagnose acute and chronic conditions, they promote health and prevent disease. Prior to the skyrocketing insurance premiums that doctor’s had to pay because of so many lawsuits; doctors performed some surgical procedures such as tonsillectomies, appendectomies, child birth, and other simple surgeries. No longer do many family practice doctors provide these types of surgeries and have to refer them out to specialists but can often provide the follow up care.
Another challenge that today’s family practice doctors face is the aging population and the “baby boomers”. These people make up a large majority of patients that are dependent on family practice doctors. Issues with Medicare arise as well with these challenges. Further, work is being done to make family practices more attractive as options available rather than focusing on what family practice medicine or doctors used to be able to provide they need to look into the future and see what family practice physicians will be able to better provide in the future.
Although family practice physicians have some difficult challenges to face with the health care system of today there are also many rewards as well. The relationships that doctors are able to establish with their patients and their families, the ability to offer the best in preventative care, flexibility and security, and being able to observe and assist in all facets of life are just some of the rewards that family practice offers to some doctors who are just not willing to compromise the true meaning of quality.