Young adults are eager to take an active role in their healthcare, and physicians can help them by incorporating features of the patient-centered medical homes into their practices.

According to a nationwide poll conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), 66 percent of young adults aged 18 to 26 have a regular source of care, and 62 percent of those respondents identified their source of routine care as a family physician. Out of the 1,273 young Americans surveyed, 76 percent that have a place of regular care said they went to a doctor's office for their routine healthcare, rather than retail health clinics or the emergency room.

Although the results indicate that these patients understand the correlation between having an ongoing relationship with a regular doctor and their long-term health, survey respondents indicated that they'd be inclined to see a primary care physician more often if offered conveniences, such as extended office hours, ability to make appointments online, correspondence via e-mail with their physician, and aviliability of same-day appointments.

These features, which are part of the medical home model of care, are becoming more widely available at family physician practices, according to AAFP President Roland Goertz, MD, MBA. He noted in a statement that 62 percent of family physicians currently provide same-day appointments, and 30 percent correspond with patients via email. In addition, the percentage of family physicians who provide online appointments has tripled since 2005, he said.

If your practice has made some of these updates, make an effort to share the news with all of your patients, particularly those who may not have visited in some time. Another recent poll conducted by Men's Health Network and Abbott Laboratories found that almost 70 percent of men ages 45 to 65 find it easier to care for their cars than they do their personal health. While men have longstanding and complex reasons for avoiding doctors, practices may have better luck engaging them by promoting added conveniences in making appointments and communicating with doctors.

To learn more:
- read the press release from the AAFP
- check out the executive summary of the survey (.pdf)
- see this article from FoxBusiness

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