And he’s surprised at the stature of GPs there:

Now the time you wait can vary, depending on the nature of your coverage and your options, but you need a referral from a GP to see a specialist. No exceptions.

As a result, the GP has a lot of standing “” and a far more influential role “” in the British health care system than a GP has in the US system. And therefore, there are more GPs than there are specialists (I think the numbers were something like 60/40 GPs to Consultants) “” which is just the opposite of the US “” where we have 30 GPs for every 70 specialists.

I asked several speakers if giving people direct access to specialists “” as they have in this country “” would make a difference. They all said “hugely.”

Of course, health plans in the US are working away from the PCP-referral model, as the “gatekeeper” concept failed miserably. In fact, Medicare doesn’t require referrals at all.