Half of Family Physicians Feel Their Payment Matches Their Workload

More Support Needed for Community-Based Care

The data from the report were not surprising, given that the work of primary care physicians is hard, but “historically undervalued” compared with procedural medicine, Dr. Kuchera said. With more emphasis on the value of healthy communities, “we will realize that the relationship family physicians have with their communities is paramount to creating a healthy society,” she added.

The fact that patient care accounts for more than 75% of what family doctors feel to be most rewarding in their profession reflects that most do this work because longitudinal care of patients and communities is rewarding, Dr. Kuchera said in an interview.

“Employers need to value the special training of family doctors to take care of communities,” Dr. Kuchera said. This includes finding ways to incentivize value-based care and to provide the necessary resources to care for communities with poor social determinants of health, she added.

Dr. Kuchera had no financial conflicts to disclose.