Written by: Dr. Wyatt Decker
Published: Feb. 4, 2026

When I started medical school, I planned to go into rural primary care. During training, I worked alongside a rural primary care physician who was incredibly knowledgeable and deeply committed to his patients. But he was also drowning in administrative burdens and overwhelming patient volumes. That was one of several experiences that led me to shift my focus to emergency medicine. Talk about going from the frying pan to the fire!

Today, the problem has only intensified. Medical students continue to avoid primary care in growing numbers. And for those already in the field, administrative burden, high patient volume, and financial pressures create an unsustainable career path. By 2036, the U.S. will face a shortage of up to 86,000 physicians—nearly half in primary care. Likewise, advanced practitioners are increasingly drawn to specialty care.

Last week, the Health Care Transformation Hub gathered experts from some of the nation’s leading health care organizations to address one of the most critical challenges in the industry today: How do we encourage and support the primary care workforce from education and training through practice?

This question is personal for me. We all acknowledge that primary care is the backbone of our health system and the first line of defense in managing complex chronic conditions. It also plays a critical role in transitioning health care from a system focused on volume to one that prioritizes value.

What's less clear is how to demonstrate that primary care can be a rewarding, purpose-driven career path.

During the convening, we covered several different ways to address this challenge:

• Educational incentives: Tuition reimbursement and loan forgiveness programs designed to attract a new workforce to the field and retain those already practicing.
• AI and technology: Tools that reduce administrative tasks like notetaking and email follow-ups, allowing more time for patient care.
• Team-based care: Integrating advanced practice providers and pharmacists to improve patient access without overburdening physicians.

The discussion reinforced why we created the Hub: the primary care workforce can't solve this alone, but collaborative action can.

We’ll continue bringing together experts to address the important issues that factor into value-based care and affordability, such as workforce sustainability.

In the coming months, we’ll continue this discussion through additional convenings, analysis of successful case studies, and finding ways to leverage public-private partnerships and data.

In order to transform health care, we must transform how we support our primary care workforce.

A special thank you to my fellow participants for joining this convening:

For more on our upcoming convenings and research, follow us on LinkedIn.