TY - BOOK AU - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine A2 - Linda McCauley A2 - Robert L. Phillips, Jr. A2 - Marc Meisnere A2 - Sarah K. Robinson TI - Implementing High-Quality Primary Care: Rebuilding the Foundation of Health Care SN - 978-0-309-68510-8 DO - 10.17226/25983 PY - 2021 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25983/implementing-high-quality-primary-care-rebuilding-the-foundation-of-health PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Health and Medicine AB - High-quality primary care is the foundation of the health care system. It provides continuous, person-centered, relationship-based care that considers the needs and preferences of individuals, families, and communities. Without access to high-quality primary care, minor health problems can spiral into chronic disease, chronic disease management becomes difficult and uncoordinated, visits to emergency departments increase, preventive care lags, and health care spending soars to unsustainable levels. Unequal access to primary care remains a concern, and the COVID-19 pandemic amplified pervasive economic, mental health, and social health disparities that ubiquitous, high-quality primary care might have reduced. Primary care is the only health care component where an increased supply is associated with better population health and more equitable outcomes. For this reason, primary care is a common good, which makes the strength and quality of the country's primary care services a public concern. Implementing High-Quality Primary Care: Rebuilding the Foundation of Health Care puts forth an evidence-based plan with actionable objectives and recommendations for implementing high-quality primary care in the United States. The implementation plan of this report balances national needs for scalable solutions while allowing for adaptations to meet local needs. ER -