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Efforts across the U.S. in recent years to encourage medical students, nurse practitioners and others to go into primary care, especially in underserved areas, are built on a consensus in research: Primary care is good for patients.

"It's the foundation of the health care system," says Dr. Ishani Ganguli, Harvard assistant professor of medicine and physician in general internal medicine and primary care at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

So Ganguli is worried about the results of a big study she and colleagues published Monday in Annals of Internal Medicine: Adults with commercial health insurance are visiting primary care providers less often than they did about a decade ago.
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Originally posted by Mikhailoh:
Perhaps there are less plans that require a referral to a specialist. I don't need one, and you don't need one with traditional Medicare. I see no point in going to my primary care if there is a specialist in what my issue is.