ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Emergency rooms bursting at the seams, nursing homes stretched thin, and a severe shortage of nurses and primary care physicians are pushing Rochester‘s healthcare system to a breaking point. For years, the issues have been escalating, but a coalition of local doctors is now stepping up, advocating for systemic reforms driven by the very people at the heart of the crisis: the patients.

Dr. Mary coan, a Rochester physician board-certified in both integrative and family medicine, paints a stark picture. “It gets harder every single day and I think we’ve definitely come to a health care crisis and I think it’s beyond the individual patient,the individual physician… it’s a whole community crisis,” she warns.

The roots of the problem, according to Dr.Coan,lie in primary care.Finding a primary care physician, or even switching to a new one, has become an arduous task for many. “I have a waiting list which most people do,” she admits. And even when patients manage to get an appointment, access to specialized care remains a notable hurdle.“the biggest thing is access to care and if I send them to a specialist, they don’t get to see the specialist. They’re seeing a nurse practitioner or a mid-level,” Dr. Coan explains.

Dr. Michael Privitera, a local psychiatrist, echoes this sentiment. “I never used to think about retiring but it was the system that made me say,I can’t do this anymore,” he reveals. Now, working with the Monroe County Medical Society and the Patient-Clinician Alliance, Dr. Privitera is committed to helping both doctors and patients navigate what he calls a “broken health care system.”

The core of the problem, as Dr. Privitera sees it, is a disconnect between decision-makers and those on the front lines. “A lot of times in health care it’s executives talking to executives so, we need those people either on the front lines or experiencing the health issues to get their issues brought up (the chain),” he argues.

To bridge this gap, Dr. Privitera and Dr. Coan are urging the community to participate in a vital initiative. The Patient-Clinician Alliance has launched a thorough survey designed to capture the real challenges patients face. “This is our community, we want our patients health to be better and how can we do this by working together so patients and clinicians working together how can we amplify those voices,” Dr. Privitera explains.Dr. Coan adds, “You hear a lot of complaints about doctors being burnt out, we’re really not the important ones here, we need the important ones to speak up.”

The survey, which takes approximately 15 minutes to complete, aims to gather critical data that will be presented to healthcare policymakers and insurance decision-makers.The Patient-Clinician Alliance hopes to gather input from over a thousand participants, ensuring a broad and representative sample.

Your experiences can directly influence the future of healthcare in Rochester. Take the survey now and make your voice heard.

The broader Context: A Nationwide Crisis

Rochester’s healthcare challenges are not unique. Across the United States,communities are grappling with similar issues: rising healthcare costs,limited access to care,and a growing shortage of healthcare professionals. The COVID-19 pandemic further exposed and exacerbated these vulnerabilities, placing immense strain on the system.

Recent data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) projects that U.S. healthcare spending will grow at an average rate of 5.4% per year from 2023 to 2032, reaching nearly $7 trillion by 2032. This unsustainable trajectory underscores the urgent need for innovative solutions and systemic reforms.

Patient advocacy groups are increasingly calling for greater transparency in healthcare pricing, expanded access to telehealth services, and policies that prioritize preventive care. The Patient-Clinician Alliance’s survey in Rochester aligns with these broader efforts, aiming to empower patients and ensure their voices are heard in the policy-making process.

Potential Solutions and the Role of Technology

Addressing Rochester’s healthcare crisis, and the national one, requires a multi-faceted approach. Some potential solutions include:

• Expanding primary care capacity: Incentivizing more medical students to enter primary care and providing loan forgiveness programs to attract physicians to underserved areas.
• Increasing the use of telehealth: Telehealth can improve access to care, particularly for patients in rural areas or those with mobility issues.
• Promoting preventive care: Investing in programs that promote healthy lifestyles and prevent chronic diseases can reduce the demand for costly medical interventions.
• Improving care coordination: Streamlining dialog and collaboration between healthcare providers can reduce duplication of services and improve patient outcomes.
• Leveraging technology: Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning can be used to improve diagnosis, personalize treatment, and automate administrative tasks, freeing up healthcare professionals to focus on patient care.

the use of technology is particularly promising. For example, AI-powered diagnostic tools can definitely help physicians detect diseases earlier and more accurately. Wearable sensors can track patients’ vital signs and alert healthcare providers to potential problems. And online patient portals can empower patients to manage their health information and communicate with their doctors.

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