Digital Health: Primary care is no longer primary

Digital health technologies that enable better patient self-management with easier and faster access to physicians are flooding the market. As these technologies evolve, and convenience care options grow, consumers are engaging less regularly with a dedicated PCP, Accenture research shows. For many, especially younger consumers, complete reliance on the knowledge and experience of a single physician will be a healthcare model of the past. PCPs are not becoming obsolete, however, their role in health management and their younger patient relationships are changing. This change runs counter to the common narrative about primary care that says every individual wants and needs a PCP. It also sheds new light on traditional forecasts of PCP shortages, which are based on static utilization and do not reflect generational differences in the demand for primary care.