Transforming primary care: from past practice to the practice of the future.

The gap between the supply of primary care physicians and the demand for primary care continues to grow. Primary care practices must find a way to increase their patient capacity without sacrificing quality of care or adding more work to already overburdened physicians. A transformed primary care practice addressing these issues must redefine the physician role such that the physician no longer sees all patients assigned to the practice but acts as a leader for a well-trained, highly functioning primary care team. The team's overall goal would be to advance the health of an entire patient panel. New payment models are among changes that will be central to this transformation.