Dr. Bauman sits down with Dr. Phillips to discuss his work with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s report on Implementing High-Quality Primary Care. Dr. Phillips takes us through the development of the report, as well as the importance of a contextual, person-centered approach to primary care that focuses on the relationships with patients, families, and communities.

In the US federal government, no single agency oversees primary care, collects consistent data about its clinicians and performance, or considers how it is integral to achieving the nation’s health goals. This gap creates a fundamental lack of understanding of what primary care is and what its capacities and capabilities are. The absence of a comprehensive perspective on primary care creates invisibility and confusion in federal policy.