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Primary Care

In 2012, the OECD noted that “Israel has a world class primary care system based on teams of professionals working in community clinics that are held to account by extensive data collection”. Other strengths include widespread geographic availability, the pivotal role of the health plans as organized systems of care and learning, the alignment of incentives between physicians and health plans, and the virtually universal availability of high-quality, computerized medical records. At the same time, Israeli primary care continues to face important challenges, including difficulties in attracting talented medical school graduates in sufficient numbers and the brevity of the typical patient-physician encounter.

This article collection is dedicated to the memory of Professor Haim Doron, who passed away in November 2017 at the age of 89. Professor Doron was one of the fathers of modern primary care in Israel and constantly promoted the development of primary care physicians - first in his role as the regional medical director for Clalit Health Services in the Negev, and later as Clalit’s chief medical officer, and then as its CEO. Professor Doron was also a founder of the National Institute for Health Policy, the Chairman of the National Institute’s Board of Directors, and a firm supporter of this journal. Professor Doron believed strongly in the importance of cross-national learning, as typified by this article collection that brings together scholars from Israel and around the world to exchange ideas on a topic close to his heart.

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  1. In order to reduce patient no-show, the Israeli government is promoting legislation that will allow Health Plans to require a co-payment from patients when reserving an appointment. It is hoped that this will ...

    Authors: Gideon Leibner, Shuli Brammli-Greenberg, Joseph Mendlovic and Avi Israeli
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2023 12:27
  2. Continuity of care by the same personal physician is a key factor in an effective and efficient health care system. Studies that support the association between high adherence and better outcomes were done in ...

    Authors: A. Golan-Cohen, G. Blumberg, E. Merzon, E. Kitai, Y. Fogelman, A. Shipotovsky and S. Vinker
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2021 10:50
  3. A key component of the quality of health care is patient satisfaction, particularly in regard to Primary Care Physician (PCP), which represents the first contact with health care services. Patient satisfaction...

    Authors: Samah Hayek, Shany Derhy, Mathew Lee Smith, Samuel D. Towne Jr and Shira Zelber-Sagi
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2020 9:13

    The Commentary to this article has been published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2021 10:21

  4. Interprofessional (IP) practice and education are important when seeking to respond to the growing demand for primary and preventive care services. Multiple professions with synergistic expertise are needed to...

    Authors: Terri Fowler, David Garr, Natalie Di Pietro Mager and Joan Stanley
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2020 9:12

    The original article was published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2019 8:50

  5. In the past decade, direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOAC) have been introduced to medical practice for several indications, with a wide range of dosing regimens. As both over- and under-dosing might lead to...

    Authors: Amichai Perlman, Ehud Horwitz, Bruria Hirsh-Raccah, Gefen Aldouby-Bier, Tamar Fisher Negev, Sarit Hochberg-Klein, Yosef Kalish and Mordechai Muszkat
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2019 8:19
  6. Primary care is a crucial part of a functional health care system, though in many parts of the world there are current or projected gaps in the primary care physician workforce. The academic family medicine or...

    Authors: Amanda Weidner and Ardis Davis
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:57

    The original article was published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:28

  7. Rachel Podell and her colleagues at the National Program for Quality Indicators in Community Healthcare in Israel have provided a clear and engaging description of thequality of primary care provided to the el...

    Authors: Richard H. Glazier
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:46

    The original article was published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:21

  8. The issue of how primary care clinicians manage unaccompanied minors is not well studied. This month’s article “Treatment of unaccompanied minors in primary care clinics- Caregivers practice and knowledge” beg...

    Authors: Kelly Orringer
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:41

    The original article was published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:29

  9. By law, the provision of medical treatment to minors in the State of Israel is conditional upon the consent of their parents. In 2004, the Head of the Medical Administration Unit in the Ministry of Health issu...

    Authors: Maya Peled-Raz, Michal Perl and Manfred S. Green
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:29

    The Commentary to this article has been published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:41

  10. In Israel, as in other Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries, performance measurement is a key public health strategy in monitoring and improving population health outcomes. The Isra...

    Authors: Leonard M. Pogach and David C. Aron
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:22

    The original article was published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:10

  11. In Israel, there is a shortage of family medicine (FM) specialists that is occasioned by a shortage of students pursuing a FM career.

    Authors: Sody Naimer, Yan Press, Charles Weissman, Rachel Yaffa Zisk-Rony, Yoram G. Weiss and Howard Tandeter
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:1

    The Commentary to this article has been published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:52

  12. Telecare is increasingly recognized as an essential tool for a contemporary twenty-first century health care system even though the evidence is still emerging on its effectiveness. The need to find delivery mo...

    Authors: Karen B. DeSalvo and Christine Petrin
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:9

    The original article was published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2017 6:68

  13. In 2012, Maccabi Healthcare Services founded Maccabi Telecare Center (MTC), a multi-disciplinary healthcare service providing telemedical care to complex chronic patients. The current paper describes the estab...

    Authors: Avi Porath, Angela Irony, Avital Segal Borobick, Shuruk Nasser, Ateret Malachi, Naama Fund and Galit Kaufman
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2017 6:68

    The Commentary to this article has been published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:9

  14. The frequency of visiting primary care providers and the duration of those visits varies substantially by patient demographics and across different developed countries. The significance of a cumulative measure...

    Authors: Andrew D. Racine
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2017 6:54

    The original article was published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2017 6:35

  15. Most of the research on primary care workload has focused on the number of visits or the average duration of visits to a primary care physician (PCP) and their effect on the quality of medical care. However, t...

    Authors: Talya A. Nathan, Arnon D. Cohen and Shlomo Vinker
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2017 6:35

    The Commentary to this article has been published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2017 6:54

  16. Out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality. The survival rates are poor and even more frustrating are the rates of neurologically favorable outcomes at hospital disc...

    Authors: Shlomo Vinker
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2017 6:36

    The original article was published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2017 6:22

  17. During the summer of 2013, after samples of poliomyelitis virus were found in sewage, Israel launched an intensive national oral polio vaccine (OPV) campaign. The clinical objective of the campaign was rather ...

    Authors: Hagai Boas, Anat Rosenthal and Nadav Davidovitch
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2016 5:64

    The Commentary to this article has been published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2017 6:21

  18. Older adults are at high risk of developing multimorbidity, and the high levels of clinical and psychosocial complexity in this population pose special challenges for primary care physicians (PCPs). As a way t...

    Authors: Pei Chen and Michael A. Steinman
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2016 5:46
  19. Participation in regular physical activity is associated with a multitude of benefits including a reduction in chronic disease and premature mortality, and improved quality of life. All segments of society nee...

    Authors: Elizabeth A. Joy and Linda S. Pescatello
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2016 5:29

    The original article was published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2016 5:8

  20. Many countries, including Israel, face health workforce challenges to meet the needs of their citizens, as chronic conditions increase. Provider shortages and geographical maldistribution are common. Increasin...

    Authors: Claudia B. Maier and Linda H. Aiken
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2016 5:21

    The original article was published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2016 5:7

  21. It has become clear in recent years that a healthy lifestyle, including physical exercise is crucial for health maintenance. Nevertheless, most people do not exercise regularly. Physician intervention is benef...

    Authors: Robert D Hoffman, Ron Golan and Shlomo Vinker
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2016 5:8

    The Commentary to this article has been published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2016 5:29

  22. Among the challenges encountered during the care of patients at the end-of-life (EOL), eliciting preferences of patients with whom there is no ability to communicate is common and stressful for all those conce...

    Authors: Gideon Lifshitz, Matan J. Cohen, Hila Shmilovitz, Mayer Brezis, Amnon Lahad and Arie Ben-Yehuda
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2016 5:6

    The Commentary to this article has been published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2016 5:28

  23. Many countries around the world have integrated various types of Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) into their healthcare systems. The main motivating factors for recognizing and developing APPs worldwide incl...

    Authors: Eliana Marcus Aaron and Caryn Scheinberg Andrews
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2016 5:7

    The Commentary to this article has been published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2016 5:21

  24. Two important considerations arise from this IJHPR article from Zimmerman and colleagues. First, is the question regarding what can be considered a “common” procedure in primary care and whether the designatio...

    Authors: Gary L. Freed
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2015 4:57
  25. Pediatric primary care is the cornerstone of health care services for children. Performance of common office procedures is an integral part of primary care. Ideally, the community-based primary care pediatrici...

    Authors: Deena R. Zimmerman, Yona Amitai, Zahi Grossman and Chen Stein-Zamir
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2015 4:50
  26. Family history is considered an essential, obligatory part of the primary physician’s intake interview. Including coded FH in a unified medical file can save expensive genetic tests and detect the early onset ...

    Authors: Ronit Endevelt, Iris Goren, Tal Sela and Varda Shalev
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2015 4:60
  27. In pandemic situations, primary care providers may be involved in a variety of roles related to disease surveillance, diagnosis and treatment, prevention, and patient education. This commentary describes the c...

    Authors: Sarah J. Clark
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2015 4:58

    The original article was published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2015 4:32

  28. Recently published analyses showed that computed tomography (CT) scans in pediatric patients are associated with increased risk of radiation-related cancer. These analyses were based on data collected both fro...

    Authors: Gabriel Chodick, Moran Levin, Ruth A. Kleinerman, Michael Shwarz, Varda Shalev, Shai Ashkenazi and Gad Horev
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2015 4:33
  29. During the 2009/A/H1N1 pandemic, the main burden of the patient management fell on primary care physicians (PCPs), and they were the principal implementers of pandemic policies. Broad involvement of PCPs in th...

    Authors: Marina Kunin, Dan Engelhard, Shane Thomas, Mark Ashworth and Leon Piterman
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2015 4:32

    The Commentary to this article has been published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2015 4:58

  30. In 01/2011 Clalit Health Services (CHS), changed the LDL-Cholesterol target definitions in its quality indicators program, from a universal target to values stratified by risk assessment based on ATP III crite...

    Authors: Shlomo Vinker, Haim Bitterman, Doron Comaneshter and Arnon D Cohen
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2015 4:20
  31. The traditional dyadic dynamics of the medical encounter has been altered into a triadic relationship by introducing the computer into the examination room. This study defines Patient-Doctor-Computer Communica...

    Authors: Shiri Assis-Hassid, Iris Reychav, Tsipi Heart, Joseph S Pliskin and Shmuel Reis
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2015 4:4
  32. The aim of this study is to examine the joint impact of preventive health behavior (PHB) and social and demographic factors on the utilization of primary and secondary medical care under a universal health car...

    Authors: Gregory Yom Din, Zinaida Zugman and Alla Khashper
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2014 3:41
  33. A model that combines reactive and anticipatory care within routine consultations has become recognized as a cost-effective means of providing preventive health care, challenging the need of the periodic healt...

    Authors: Dana Rosen, Sasson Nakar, Arnon D Cohen and Shlomo Vinker
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2014 3:15
  34. Since minor surgical and musculoskeletal problems are commonly seen in primary care, primary care physicians are expected to possess the skills required to perform minor surgical procedures (MSP) and musculosk...

    Authors: Sasson Menahem, Andrey Nazarenko and Pesach Shvartzman
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2014 3:12
  35. Previous studies suggest that cancer-related interventions are valued by policy makers more favorably than interventions for other medical conditions, but the views of practicing physicians have not yet been a...

    Authors: Dan Greenberg, Ariel Hammerman, Shlomo Vinker, Adi Shani, Yuval Yermiahu and Peter J Neumann
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2013 2:44
  36. The article by Eshel et al. describes major differences, in terms of demography and health status, between elderly patients who did and those who did not visit primary care physicians for general health check-ups...

    Authors: Vladimir Khanassov, Isabelle Vedel and Howard Bergman
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2013 2:13
  37. Health care quality indicators encourage outreach programs for screening the elderly who do not voluntarily visit their primary care physician (PCP). The characteristics of this population, however, have never...

    Authors: Nira Eshel, Raanan Raz, Gabriel Chodick and Michal Guindy
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2013 2:7

    The Erratum to this article has been published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2013 2:46

  38. The digital revolution will have a profound impact on how physicians and health care delivery organizations interact with patients and the community at-large. Over the coming decades, face-to-face patient/doct...

    Authors: Jonathan P Weiner
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2012 1:33
  39. Today patients can consult with their treating physician by cell phone or e-mail. These means of communication enhance the quality of medical care and increase patient satisfaction, but they can also impinge o...

    Authors: Roni Peleg and Elena Nazarenko
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2012 1:32
  40. Since 2000, Israel has had a national program for ongoing monitoring of the quality of the primary care services provided by the country's four competing non-profit health plans. Previous research has demonstr...

    Authors: Rachel Nissanholtz-Gannot and Bruce Rosen
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2012 1:26
  41. Continuity of care is critical to achieving the best outcomes, especially for patients with chronic conditions. Israel’s strong commitment to primary care as a central organizing concept of the health system, ...

    Authors: Janet M Corrigan
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2012 1:22
  42. The study goal was to assess indices of continuity of care in the primary care setting and their association with health outcomes and healthcare services utilization, given the reported importance of continuit...

    Authors: Jacob Dreiher, Doron S Comaneshter, Yael Rosenbluth, Erez Battat, Haim Bitterman and Arnon D Cohen
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2012 1:21
  43. Israel has made impressive progress in improving performance on key measures of the quality of health care in the community in recent years. These achievements are all the more notable given Israel's modest ov...

    Authors: Mark R Chassin
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2012 1:4
  44. The National Program for Quality Indicators in Community Healthcare in Israel (QICH) was developed to provide policy makers and consumers with information on the quality of community healthcare in Israel. In w...

    Authors: Dena H Jaffe, Amir Shmueli, Arie Ben-Yehuda, Ora Paltiel, Ronit Calderon, Arnon D Cohen, Eran Matz, Joseph K Rosenblum, Rachel Wilf-Miron and Orly Manor
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2012 1:3