At a recent medical conference of group practices, I asked health care leaders from across the country to share their top concerns for providing care in their communities. Overwhelmingly, the number one issue was access.

Their response echoed a growing national concern — one that’s becoming increasingly visible in communities everywhere. A national shortage of providers is contributing to longer wait times for appointments, and that’s just one issue we’re facing as a country as we work to improve access to care and make a complex health care system easier to navigate.

Since we mark National Community Health Week every year during June, this is an important opportunity to talk about the challenges we face as a nation with the health care system, how that affects care in our communities and how we can work together locally to make it work better for everyone.

The health care system in the U.S. has seen a lot of change and complexity. Clinician groups are shutting their doors for a host of........

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