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.
Return to Israel Journal of Health Policy Research