Key Points
This is the second in a series of articles on the nine Key Levers of primary care investment. The first was Maximizing Primary Care Investment Value: A Framework for State Leaders.
- Needs Assessment is not an academic exercise: with Resource Allocation, it turns unmet statewide needs into priorities, resource requirements, and practical program choices.
- Competing program choices should be judged by expected value: health outcomes, avoidable use of hospital-based services, population affected, per-capita cost, and resource requirements.
- The growing shortage of primary care professionals is the most urgent need; primary care investment goals can’t be achieved without a realistic plan to close that gap.
Introduction
Most states and healthcare professionals nationwide already recognize that we face a significant and growing shortage of primary care professionals: physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and the broader clinical workforce that delivers frontline care. Far less prevalent are evidence-based plans to address it. Most states are trying to achieve lower avoidable mortality and morbidity, better access to care and lower utilization of high cost health services. What separates a state spending target from an effective primary care initiative is knowing where and how to direct the financial and other resources based on priorities that a needs assessment demonstrates will produce the greatest return on investment.