PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Each of us should have a physician who knows us and takes care of our health needs. Primary care physicians, like family doctors, pediatricians and internists, can fill that need.
Unfortunately, due to numerous barriers, including a shortage of primary care doctors, many people turn to urgent care or the local emergency room for minor problems.
This can help in the short run, but without a long-term plan for overall health, important areas of preventive care may be missed.
Roughly 265 Americans check into a hospital every minute, according to the American College of Emergency Physicians. Many patients show up with relatively minor issues, leading to long waits.
Get more medical reports from Dr. Brian McDonough.
KYW Newsradio's Medical Reports are sponsored by Independence Blue Cross.
