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Each year over 210 million Americans of all ages visit a primary care doctor or other health professional. Some of these are for checkups or are general wellness visits; some are because the patient doesn't feel well. But many patients don't feel satisfied with the quality of their time with their health provider. According to AHRQ's Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, nearly 14 percent of adults 18 years or older feel that their health provider sometimes or never spends enough time with them, 9 percent say their provider sometimes or never listens to them, and 8 percent say their provider sometimes or never explains things clearly to them. Sometimes the problem is with the health care provider or how the office is run. But there are a number of things that patients can do to improve the quality of the time with their provider. This program features an interview with AHRQ Director Dr. Carolyn Clancy discussing how to get the most out of a visit with a primary care health professional.
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