Beatrice (not her real name) is here to see me after her fall, but our visit doesn’t end there. I watch the security footage of the fall on her phone, check her head to toe, and plan a pain regimen that won’t worsen her gastritis. And then I tackle her renewed anxiety, adjust her thyroid medication, offer an overdue vaccine, and plan for our nurse to check in later that week.

This is what it’s always meant to be a primary care doctor. And as of two years ago, Medicare enrollees can find it as a line item on their doctor’s bill.

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