In most cases, the policy center will study existing literature and databases, analyze them and apply that knowledge to advance primary care in the nation's policy environment. The policy center will be driven by policy issues as they emerge. Q. Give an example of a policy issue. The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 has the unintended consequence of decreasing the number of family medicine residents that could receive federal funding. The policy center, an independent entity, should have access to that type of information.
Independence is critical for the center's credibility.
I wouldn't have taken the position without the independence. Most research has been conducted on small subsets of the population. We need to stop blaming other people for doing their research and accept responsibility for explaining what primary care is. In most countries, primary care is expected to exist as the foundation of health care systems. As this century ends, however, the United States is wondering what primary care is, who does it, who should do it and how much to invest in it.