Study: Universal coverage won't solve primary care shortage

It is possible to alleviate some of the load on medical doctors and nurse practitioners by using the population of chiropractors. Chiropractors are specialists in musculoskeletal injuries and treatments for these problems. They are also well versed in when it is necessary to refer a patient who has a visceral or chemical problem. Since approximately 65% of all office visits to a medical doctor are musculoskeletal, and since chiropractors are being recognized more and more by their medical brethren (I teach a chiropractic rotation for UMKC school of Medicine with Nora Quiason, M.D.) it seems an obvious fix to me. The only real obstacle is ego and outdated prejudice.

What about utilizing registered pharmacists as part of the primary care team? While it would probably not be advisable to have pharmacists perform invasive procedures other than immunizations,injections and simple suturing of wounds and lacerations, they certainly are and should be part of the primary care team. Pharmacists are well-versed in anatomy, physiology, and pharmecuticals. In previous generations (e.g. the Great Depression generation) pharmacists were often the defacto primary care physician for many people who could not afford a physician. A registered pharmacist would be another pair of trained eyes to help determine if an injury or illness were self-limiting, required only minimal treatment, or should be taken up a notch to a physician (MD or DO).
This country is headed towards a major change in the financing and delivery of healthcare to the entire population; what will be needed is, what we used to call on Wall Street, "thinking outside of the box". Pessimists will say that universal healthcare is too expensive for the resources we have at our disposal. Optimists will explore how we can deliver with the resources we have at our disposal. And remember in November.
Howard S.
howard08817@aol.com