Obesity Problem

“After decades of rising OBESITY rates among adults, the pace of increase is beginning to slow, but rates remain high. This report reveals that adult obesity rates increased in six states in the past year and remained high overall.”

– RWJF 2014

At PreventScripts we are committed to addressing the Obesity Problem by helping primary care providers identify and intervene with their obese populations. In early 2020, primary care providers on average lost $64,000 in revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A study by the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School projects a total loss of $15B in 2020 for the primary care sector. Lead author of the study Sanjay Basu notes: “For many primary care practices, particularly those serving the most vulnerable populations, these losses could be catastrophic, with many practices being forced to close. This could weaken the U.S. health system dramatically at a time when we need it to be at its strongest.”

Sanjay Basu Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School

“Relatively low spending on primary care is a contributing factor in U.S. healthcare underperforming compared to health systems in other advanced industrial countries. Nations with better access to primary care and superior primary care services generate better health outcomes at lower costs.”

From the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Executed by the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality

Primary Care Spending

“New research shows that primary care accounted for 5.4% of total healthcare expenditures in 2016.”

– JAMA Intern Med

“The Primary Care Collaborative’s 2020 Evidence Report findings, based on data from 2017 to 2019, show that the U.S. health system’s investment in primary care—as measured by primary care spend—is low and declining.”

Primary Care Spending: High Stakes, Low Investment