ALTERNATIVE MODELS OF PRIMARY HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

Intro & Objectives: The issue of Primary Health Care reform has been an interesting topic of discussions for some time now but recently it is obvious that something positive should be done about it. According to Starfield1, PHC reform is a must because national health care systems with strong primary care infrastructures have healthier populations, fewer health-related gaps and lower overall costs for health care. With dwindling resources and changing environments that impact global health, reform is inevitable. the core objective is introducing the three Alternative Models of PHC System. Methods: There are alternative models of PHC system that empower the family doctor to contribute even more on the comprehensive care of the family. The solution for this long-standing health care problem is to find a way to empower the providers by letting the family doctors own the Primary Health Care system. The state maintains contracts with private Family Medicine Clinics and pay for the services provided to the citizens. Periodic evaluations must be done that will specifically account for the presence of parameters that will assure the occurrence of the different PHC components in the system. Conclusions: The three alternative model allows the FAMILY DOCTORS to: 1-Own their practices and thus becoming more active and motivated in providing services 2-Provide a timely and coordinated care 3-Give comprehensive patient-centered care 4-Gain more defined basket of services producing a better PHC team 5-Receive better payment thus attaining more accountability and responsibility in providing the best care for the patient and community