Surescripts survey shows clinicians concerned by primary care shortages, see promise in technology

A significant majority of prescribers, 9 in 10, and virtually all pharmacists see team-based care as beneficial to patients and would reduce the total cost of care, according to a new Surescripts® survey.

The survey revealed that while a majority of providers believe it’s important for the healthcare industry to move to team-based care, there are other challenges that stand in the way of improving the delivery of patient care.

Key findings:

• Physician burnout and shortages are worsening care gaps.
  • A quarter of prescribers say they are at least somewhat likely to leave the profession in the next year due to burnout.
  • 73% of prescribers and half of pharmacists are concerned about the lack of primary care physicians in their area—a shortage affecting rural areas and small towns in particular.
• Prescribers and pharmacists are eager to work together to improve access to care.
  • A significant majority of prescribers said it is somewhat or very important that pharmacists be able to provide more care services including immunization administration, smoking cessation, point of care testing, wellness screenings and medication therapy management.
• Clinicians see promise in tools that deliver more patient information and easier collaboration.
  • More than two thirds say electronic access to clinical information, benefit eligibility information and electronic prior authorization would be very useful.

“Hearing directly from providers reveals a growing consensus between prescribers and pharmacists who agree that a team-based approach to care benefits patients and may help lower costs,” said Frank Harvey, Chief Executive Officer of Surescripts. “It also provides further clarity into what’s behind clinician burnout and growing gaps in primary care that have resulted in just one PCP for every 1,500 people in nearly half of the 3,233 U.S. counties.”

“This report serves as an urgent reminder of the opportunity the broader healthcare industry has to evolve, advancing policies, payment structures and technology to truly empower provider care teams so patients continue to have access to affordable, quality healthcare no matter where they live,” added Harvey.

Dig deeper into the survey: Prescribers & Pharmacists Look for More Collaboration & New Technologies to Improve Care

ICYMI: Does your county have a PCP shortage? Find out with Surescripts’ new interactive map and learn more about How Care Teams Are Evolving to Fill Primary Care Gaps.

Surescripts partnered with APCO Insight™ to conduct a survey between May 22 and May 30, 2023, to understand the opinions and attitudes of pharmacists and prescribers (including physicians, physician’s assistants and nurse practitioners) on a variety of topics around the healthcare industry including job priorities and challenges, impressions of the wider industry and views toward expanding pharmacists’ role in patient care. A total of 509 individuals completed the online survey.

About Surescripts

Our purpose is to serve the nation through simpler, trusted health intelligence sharing, in order to increase patient safety, lower costs and ensure quality care. At Surescripts, we align healthcare organizations across the nation and convene the Surescripts Network Alliance® to give healthcare professionals the trusted insights they need to serve patients. Together, we’re making interoperability an everyday reality, making it simpler to choose medications patients can afford and adhere to, and getting specialty medications to patients more efficiently. Visit us at surescripts.com and follow us at twitter.com/surescripts.

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