Does the fate of ailing U.S. primary care lie in the hands of corporate America? In his latest piece for Harvard Business Review, Commonwealth Fund President David Blumenthal, M.D., explores the implications of a trend that could “greatly bolster, or dangerously distort” what is a critical component of any well-functioning health care system.
As primary care doctors become increasingly scarce in urban and rural areas alike, big corporations like CVS-Aetna, Walgreens, Amazon, and Walmart are rushing to buy up practices or hire primary care practitioners directly, seeking to fill the need for basic preventive services and treatment for everyday health problems. Other companies, backed by venture capital, are even creating new models where physicians assume financial risk for the cost and quality of their patients’ care in return for an upfront payment.
Blumenthal says whether these new corporate entrants make a positive impact will depend largely on how well they address the central problem afflicting primary care in the United States — “namely, that it is undervalued and undercompensated by the health care system generally.” | 
