Why are you using PCPs? The urgent care route seems more efficient, scales, and takes advantage of electronic medical records.
I personally have not had a PCP singular doctor or doctor group in years. I use an urgent care franchise as my PCP.
I have a chronic ailment that requires daily medicine and the medical staff at the urgent care has been more than capable of providing care, writing scripts, and providing referrals to specialists.
The idea of an ongoing relationship with a single doctor has always felt to me like a relic of that mythic past when people would spend 40 years working for a single employer before retiring with a pension.
In my life, as a generally healthy person working in the software industry, I have switched health insurance plans almost as many times as I've needed medical attention. What's the point of going through the trouble to establish a relationship with a PCP when you will see them at most twice, likely only once, before you have to start over after taking your next job?
For primary care. I believe that's where the name Primary Care Provider comes from.
The difference from urgent care is long term. Having the same PCP for long periods of time provides an opportunity for deep insight and developing a personal relationship.
Urgent care is often a 1-4 hour wait and insurance tends to have a higher copay. If you have a patient profile at a large health care provider's facility, you can often get appointments same or next day if you're willing to be flexible about the specific provider that sees you, with the normal (~15 minute) wait and lower copay.
it sounds like you've never been around old people or an aging parent. When they get old, and start having serious health issues, it’s very important to have a PCP who can play “coach”. They coordinate care with various specialists, and old people typically see many specialists.
You expect an 80 year old to go to urgent care and spent 30 minutes chatting with a random urgent care doctor to get them up to speed on their medical history? lol.
Due to aging population, this PCP shortage is a big problem. Urgent care is fine for a younger person with a simple medical history, or for simple issues.
I personally have not had a PCP singular doctor or doctor group in years. I use an urgent care franchise as my PCP.
I have a chronic ailment that requires daily medicine and the medical staff at the urgent care has been more than capable of providing care, writing scripts, and providing referrals to specialists.