Many Americans see specialists for primary care: study

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Two in five adults in the U.S. are getting general healthcare from specialist doctors, according to a new study showing that figure held steady for nearly a decade. Researchers found that in 1999 and 2007, approximately 59 percent of visits in the U.S. for primary care were to family physicians. The other 41 percent were to specialists, such as internists and obstetricians-gynecologists. There is evidence that in healthcare systems where primary care doctors are the first point of contact, patients see better outcomes, according to the study's lead author. ... Read more