Primary care is the foundation of the modern healthcare system. It’s the first stop for treatment and the best way to stay healthy in the long run. Having an ongoing relationship with a primary care physician means staying up to date with yearly physicals, vaccinations, and important screening tests.
Patients who have a primary care provider live longer, healthier lives. They also spend less on healthcare services. As the importance of primary care has grown, however, access has declined, especially in rural areas. As noted by the University of Rochester Medical Center, the decline in primary care providers has continued for decades and only gotten worse. Between 2017 and 2023, there was an 11% decline in family physicians in rural areas.
Increasing options
Washington state recognized this decline and, in 2007, took steps to enhance the efficiency of healthcare delivery, reduce wait times, and ensure that rural residents could receive timely, comprehensive care. In response to a shortage of primary care doctors, the state expanded the range of providers. Physician assistants and nurse practitioners can also practice family medicine–assessing patients, diagnosing conditions, prescribing medications, and designing treatment plans.
Nurse practitioners are nurses who have completed graduate-level programs and earned a Master of Science in Nursing or a Doctor of Nursing Practice. Physician assistants are trained in a medical school setting to conduct many clinical tasks. The one-year program is followed by a year-long residency.
Many physician assistants in Washington graduate from the University of Washington Medicine’s Medex program. Established in 1969, the program is one of the oldest in the nation and draws students from a variety of healthcare disciplines, including nursing, emergency medicine, and military corpsmen.
Integrated behavioral health
In some Washington counties, patients can wait months to see a doctor, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant. The wait can be just as long for a behavioral health appointment. This comes at a time when the medical community increasingly recognizes the link between physical and mental well-being. Patients with a chronic condition may experience mental stress like anxiety or depression, and underlying social-emotional concerns may result in a physical illness.
Kinwell’s advanced primary care model was designed to recognize this mind-body connection. Every Kinwell patient has a behavioral health clinician as part of their care team. Behavioral health clinicians can help patients overcome a variety of concerns such as problems related to sleep, relationships, or substance misuse that pose barriers to good health.
Convenient technology
New forms of communication are another way Kinwell is increasing access to care. If there was one good thing to come out of the pandemic, it was the acceptance of online meetings. Whether for work or school, people became adept at Teams and Zoom and came to appreciate the convenience of this new way to connect.
At Kinwell, virtual appointments have always been an option. Our 16 clinics across Washington were designed with video conferencing in mind. Each exam room is equipped and lit to accommodate online meetings. Patients can see their clinician in person or online from the same familiar setting.
Some patients choose to receive almost all their primary care online. Dr. Jlyn Pritchard, an early adopter of virtual medicine, is based in Spokane but sees patients from anywhere in Washington. When lab tests or a hands-on exam is needed, she will refer patients to the most convenient provider, then follow up with a treatment plan.
Online group programs
The connection between our daily habits and overall well-being has come to be known as lifestyle medicine. What we eat, how active we are, and how well we sleep can both prevent and treat chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension.
Kinwell incorporates the latest science of this growing field into our practice and offers online group programs for patients across the state. These programs harness the power of group support and apply the science of lifestyle medicine to such conditions as diabetes, hypertension, and menopause.
Lowering costs
We know that patients with an ongoing primary care relationship spend less on healthcare. Vaccinations prevent illnesses. Lifestyle choices maintain better health. And ailments that are caught early can be treated more easily and with better outcomes. All of this results in fewer expensive trips to urgent care or the emergency room, options that cost many times more than a visit to primary care.
Primary care really is the foundation of our healthcare system and individual good health. New patients can begin their primary care relationship at Kinwell by scheduling on our website or by calling 833-411-5469.
