The clamor surrounding the health care debate -- the cost of care, the future of care, views on medical malpractice caps, bandied-about reform measures, qualitative improvements -- is replete with voices from government, insurers, medical associations and media pundits.

Arguably, one voice has been comparatively silent in all the pulls and tugs: that of the primary care physician -- the doctor who is actually on the front lines of patient interaction and care giving.

A recent study highlights that fact and presents the concerns and conclusions of the doctors who see patients first and know them best.

The study was authored by a group of researchers from the Veterans Affairs Outcomes Group in Vermont, who surveyed more than 600 family doctors, most with more than two decades of experience in primary-care practice.

What quickly emerged from the study was a strong consensus among the respondents that patients are generally receiving too much care, resulting in large measure from increasing reliance on clinical measurements and the inadequate time that doctors have with their patients.

More than 40 percent of the doctors responding to study questions said that too much care was being meted out to patients, with only six percent voicing a contrary opinion.

And nearly half of the physicians said that 10 percent of all patient care could be handled without their involvement at all, i.e., simply through a phone call or consultation with a nurse.

Related Resource: ABC News, "Primary care docs feel pressure to do more tests" Sept. 27, 2011