title: Patients with high-cost chronic conditions rely heavily on primary care physicians.
abstract: Today's US physician workforce principally comprises specialists trained in the care of specific chronic conditions in the outpatient setting. However, a majority of patients seeking care for most of 14 high-cost chronic conditions, for example hypertension, were more likely to see a primary care physician than a specialist physician (69% vs. 24%, respectively).
authors.affiliation: the Evergreen Health Cooperative, Baltimore, MD; the Robert Graham Center for Policy Studies in Family Medicine and Primary Care, Washington, DC.
authors.forename: Manisha A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: Newton
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Miranda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Coffman
authors.forename: Andrew W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Bazemore
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Physician-Patient Relations; Quality of Health Care