What is the purpose of primary care optimization (PCO)?

The purpose of primary care optimization (PCO) is to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of primary care services, which often includes recapturing patient care that may have shifted to the private sector. By focusing on improving primary care delivery and making it more accessible, PCO aims to strengthen the primary care system, ensuring that patients receive the care they need within their primary care settings rather than being referred to secondary care or outside services.

This approach embraces the concept that providing comprehensive and preventive care within primary care not only improves patient outcomes but also optimizes overall healthcare resources. By recapturing care, health systems can better manage costs and improve continuity of care, leading to better health management across populations.

Options that suggest creating more administrative tasks or eliminating the need for population health management do not align with the fundamental goal of PCO, which is to improve patient care delivery rather than complicate it or bypass essential health management strategies. The notion of reducing visits to secondary care facilities is a goal of PCO, but it is not the primary purpose; the focus is on enhancing primary care services themselves.