So you need to seek medical care. We’re not talking emergency room care. Simply you or a family member has some health concerns and you need someone to turn to as soon as possible. What are the options?

Well currently we have several, such as primary care physicians and primary care providers like physician assistants and nurse practitioners. But how do you determine where to turn? Fortunately no one in your family has needed care for a while so you haven’t really given this much thought. But now the time is here and you are scrambling for answers. Will you be getting equal or better care from one or the other providers? Of course, we all realize that simply putting an M.D. behind your name does not ensure the highest quality of care available. None the less, anytime we have health concerns it is scary and we just want our needs attended to now.

What is the most important factor to look for when choosing a medical practice? We want someone who listens, has excellent communication skills, someone that takes the time to really hear you. We deserve a qualified health care provider that shows true care and compassion and of course gives you an accurate diagnosis. What about someone that provides accurate advice about self medication or even self management? There is nothing more defeating than going to a health care provider and walking away more confused or frustrated than when you were before. I know I’m not alone in my having a less than fulfilling experience when dealing with medical providers. Feeling like just another number in the waiting room of a physicians waiting area just gets compounded by the humiliation of changing into a hospital gown. I thought that was a tradition that was dismissed years ago. We are simply facing diminishing quality in traditional medical practices. Under staffed, over booked and clearly overworked.

My most recent experience with my primary care physician was not a positive one. I showed up fifteen minutes before my scheduled appointment time, signed in at the reception desk only to realize that the doctor had several other patients scheduled at the same time. After waiting for forty five minutes in the waiting room I was lead into an exam room where I waited an additional forty minutes. When I finally was seen by the physician he spent less than 3 minutes with me……I was timing it. By the time I got to my car the entire time spent at that office was over two hours and I walked away no better informed than when I arrived. All in all not a rewarding experience.

I partially blame myself. I chose this particular primary care practice from a list given to me by my employer. But instead of doing some due diligence about the practice I simply took the next available appointment. I failed to ask approximately how long the wait would be or even how many physicians or nurse practitioners worked at the practice. These are important questions.

I have spoken with several people recently who had similar experiences at their physicians’ office. Now, I’m not making a blanket statement that all doctors will make you wait as long as I did and spend as little time with you as is my experience, however it does seem to be becoming more and more the norm. Well, there may be a time coming very soon where that “norm” doesn’t seem so bad. Let’s look into the future, very near future, of health care.

With the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or ‘Obama Care’ as it has become known as, nearly 35 million Americans will be able to obtain health care benefits. Sounds like a positive thing, right? Well, maybe in theory. Yes, those previously denied quality of health care for themselves and their families will now have access to improved care.

However; where are we going to find a workforce sizeable enough to meet this increased demand? As we touched on earlier, we are already faced with a critical shortage of health professionals. So in a sense the ACA may be creating the exact opposite effect than promised. Will health care actually decline for all of us by increasing the stress and burden on an already fragile health care system?

Dr Atul Grover, chief public policy officer with the American Association of Medical Colleges summed it up this way- “I worry about giving 30 (plus) million people a card and a false promise.”

We have been facing these tremendous work force shortages for decades now, so how will we be able to bridge this already enormous gap in quality care?

It’s not like physicians and nurses magically appear over night. As we all now, it takes years and years of specialized training. As it stands now, the projected shortage of care providers in the next decade will be very unsettling. At the current rate studies indicate we are potentially looking at a shortage of nearly 45,000 health care providers by 2025, this includes nurse practitioners, physicians and physician assistants. Without more graduates from nursing and medical schools coupled by increased innovation in shared roles and responsibilities among nurses, physicians and other medical professionals, we will inevitably be facing longer wait times, and less time spent with the actual provider. (If that is possible, like in my case and those of my friends). This will all be coupled with cost increases and in general another set of frustrations in regards to health care.

So we have established that the overload on our system is inevitable. However; millions of people now anxiously await the promise of “free” or heavily subsidized services. But is that what is going to happen? Statistics point to no. Of course medical professionals want to help people in need but with a growing shortage of personnel and severely limited resources, the good intentions of the policy makers who designed the ACA will most assuredly be compromised.

So, after all of that, where does it leave us today? What can you do to plan for yours and your family’s health care needs for now and in the future? What is a viable option to avoiding all of the potential frustrations we are facing?

Here is a solution you may not have considered. There is a very interesting option available at a primary care practice here in Albuquerque. We have an amazing practice called Functional Family Medicine. They eliminate the hassle of long waits in the lobby and rushed visits with your provider. As a Direct Primary Care provider they can assure eliminating all of these frustrations simply by becoming a member.

Staffed with the highest quality of experienced nurse practitioners you can be confident that you are receiving the very best health care from every member of their staff.

Before you ask, why would I choose a nurse practitioner over a primary care physician? Let’s talk about that. Many people don’t know how qualified nurse practitioners are. Here in New Mexico, we are one of 17 states that is referred to as a “Full Practice State”, this means that these specially trained and highly qualified providers can not only evaluate patients, they can diagnose, order and interpret diagnostic tests, initiate and manage treatments and prescribe medications. This is under the licensure authority of the State Board of Nursing.

The expert staff at Functional Family Medicine is focused on the health and well being of not only you but your entire family. Don’t procrastinate, the ACA was passed this past week, the additional stress on an exhausted health care system is imminent. Reserve your family’s place with your membership to Functional Family Medicine, we are lucky to have them right here in Albuquerque. Call today 505-822-9800 or visit the website at functionalfamilymedicine.net.