I talked with @DaniaPal, who has chronic pain from an autoimmune condition, as she was driving up to Philly for a pain treatment because she couldn& #39;t get it done in DC: https://www.vox.com/2020/4/27/21231528/coronavirus-covid-19-primary-care-doctors-crisis">https://www.vox.com/2020/4/27...
The squeeze on primary care puts people with chronic conditions at risk:

“Is maintaining your health … urgent care? Not something we usually put in the box of ‘urgent,’ but if we don’t take care of it, it’s going to get urgent or emergent.” https://www.vox.com/2020/4/27/21231528/coronavirus-covid-19-primary-care-doctors-crisis">https://www.vox.com/2020/4/27...
A doctor in Charlottesville: “This is a completely unprecedented event."

"Even for those people who understood that pandemics could occur, I don’t think anyone gave thought to what that would mean to being a physician in a small independent practice.” https://www.vox.com/2020/4/27/21231528/coronavirus-covid-19-primary-care-doctors-crisis">https://www.vox.com/2020/4/27...
Primary care practices have seen their total visits drop by 50 percent during the coronavirus pandemic.

“Within my lifetime, I have not seen anything of this magnitude," says @Ateevm, who led a Harvard study on this: https://www.vox.com/2020/4/27/21231528/coronavirus-covid-19-primary-care-doctors-crisis">https://www.vox.com/2020/4/27...
Increased telehealth is not nearly enough to offset the losses for primary care doctors:

https://www.vox.com/2020/4/27/21231528/coronavirus-covid-19-primary-care-doctors-crisis">https://www.vox.com/2020/4/27...
The blunt take from @ASlavitt on coronavirus& #39;s toll:

“I could see a real decimating of independent primary care, and specialists impacted as well.” https://www.vox.com/2020/4/27/21231528/coronavirus-covid-19-primary-care-doctors-crisis">https://www.vox.com/2020/4/27...
Independent primary care docs are preparing for possibility they& #39;ll have to sell or join a larger system:

"We all recognize in the back of our minds, there’s a possibility we might not make it through this disruption to our practice." https://www.vox.com/2020/4/27/21231528/coronavirus-covid-19-primary-care-doctors-crisis">https://www.vox.com/2020/4/27...
“The aftershocks on primary care will be huge. I’m terrified what we’ll see is left of our independent practices,” says @DaniaPal. “I fear a lot of provider deserts are going to be worsened.” https://www.vox.com/2020/4/27/21231528/coronavirus-covid-19-primary-care-doctors-crisis">https://www.vox.com/2020/4/27...
And guess what happens when there is more consolidation in primary care:

Costs go up and access goes down. All our health care problems are about to get worse.

https://www.vox.com/2020/4/27/21231528/coronavirus-covid-19-primary-care-doctors-crisis">https://www.vox.com/2020/4/27...
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