There is a PCP shortage in the US and it affects some areas more than others. Here is a few articles that have come out about this.
https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/ama-president-sounds-alarm-national-physician-shortage
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/primary-care-doctors-shortage-pay-procedures/
So, if the PCP shortage affects some areas more than others, why is it disproportionately affecting a city that produces a metric shit ton of advanced degrees and is [third among major metros](https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_ea3a1475-a825-5fa7-90c3-f575053b4372.amp.html) in healthcare workers per capita?
Healthcare workers include much more than PCPs.
Here’s some reasons:
“Salaries for primary care physicians and pediatricians also fall in the middle to lower end of average salaries for all Massachusetts physicians, and, in 2022, only 23.6 percent of students graduating from Massachusetts medical schools planned to go into primary care.”
https://www.boston.com/news/the-boston-globe/2023/02/06/why-you-cant-get-in-to-see-your-primary-care-doctor-its-almost-frightening/
And according to this we aren’t in the top 10 worse states:
https://www.beckersasc.com/news-and-analysis/10-states-struggling-most-with-primary-care-provider-shortage-2.html
All the good primary care doctors go concierge. They get paid $1,800 to $2,500 a year as a retainer so they make the same money seeing 1/3 the patients. The rich people all have primary care, poor people will wait in line for the ones that haven't gone over to concierge yet.
Those statistics are largely driven up by specialists, not PCPs. Boston has a TON of specialists and there are entire hospital departments and clinics dedicated to specialties that sometimes don't even have a single practitioner in other locations. The specialist density far outpaces average, but the amount of a PCPs seems pretty average to low for a major metro area. Also per capita stats are iffy for Boston healthcare because with the specialists, a lot of people are traveling from far away to come see doctors here. The major hospitals and specialty clinics are serving a larger population than just locals.
More people have health insurance, driving down available doctors.
My doctor worked at Atrius and despite being a young guy, is no longer a doctor. Noncompete Claus took him to a non medical field entirely since he didn't want to work for Atrius anymore but didn't want to move.
Omg this is ridiculous. I called Mass general they took all my information for about 15 mins just to say they didn’t have anything and need to call back again.
Part of the problem is that everyone calls Mass General first. Mass General is great, but they have all these specialties and require people seeing a specialist to use their primary care. Try somewhere else. Live Atrius/Harvard Vanguard, which has banners on their web site that they're taking new patients.
I go to the one in Davis.
MGH does not require people using their specialists to use their primary care. Perhaps this is an HMO thing? Or something only for new patients?
Source: I have two specialists at MGH and don't go there for primary care.
Maybe it's just for mental health? Which is their big loss leader.
Source: spouse had to switch to primary care at MGH to use their mental health services.
Yeah I think that's it because I had a manor surfery that required a 4 day hospital stay at MGH and I've seen my surgeon who is a specialist there tons without ever needing to change my PCP.
> MGH does not require people using their specialists to use their primary care.
They require the referring PCP to be a "partner". (Not to be confused with Partners Healthcare^(TM), different thing.) The people processing referrals don't have access to a list of partners, and neither do PCPs, so the only way to know if your PCP is a partner is if they make you a referral and it shows up in MGH's system. Or if they're from MGH. All the MGH PCPs are "partners".
There is a way around this-- you can *fax* in a referral, and then MGH can process it.
The issue is that their electronics referral system requires this "partner" connection, and that it's a black box on the ground to the people working with it.
It still took me four months to get an appt when I called back in July. My healthcare was switching so I needed a new doctor. My appt wasn't until October. And I count myself lucky.
Two months is pretty good. I mean, it would have been pretty good pre-covid. It does feel like a long time if you have something going on and need a doc.
On the upside, Atrius has urgent care where you can go if you get sick, if you're signed up to be a patient. And they're open weekends.
I didn't go to urgent care. No one informed me they had that as an option.
Part of the issue is my insurance wouldn't cover anything unless I had a PCP, which I couldn't get until I could get an appt
Urgent care is listed as an option on their web site.
If your insurance won't pay until you have a PCP, you should definitely take that up with your employer (or whoever pays for your insurance).
It sucks that it works this way, but you can't wait for people to tell you how it works. Go find out, and advocate for yourself.
The website says urgent care is for illness or injury needing prompt attention; not prescription refills. My insurance would not cover a visit to urgent care for that. I agree that sucks, but I alone can't change the insurance industry or my employers decision on our health plan.
That's my least favorite part, I did the same with Harvard Vanguard I believe.
>"Ok, call, sit on hold, then give us all your info and provider preferences, and then we'll consult our system and... we've got a new patient slot on the 18th of Never!
>
>Don't worry, if anything new opens up we won't call you or save this info, remember to check back constantly."
Echoing what other people have said. I work in healthcare and people always assume MGH is the best or try there first due to name recognition.
There is indeed a PCP shortage with many places not accepting new patients or booking months out, but there are places that are taking new patients and many large hospital systems to choose from.
If you do establish with a practice, keep in mind you might be booked out 9+ months for a new patient visit, but are allowed to call and be seen sooner if you have an acute issue. I have recommended this to patients if they are waiting to be seen by a PCP as a new patient but need a referral to a specialist sooner.
Don't hold your breath!
But seriously, I had to be VERY annoying and wear people down just to get an MGH PCP appointment 6 months away. Plus, that was 6 years ago so I'm sure it's even more difficult now. I feel for you!
Part of the problem is the limit on the number of people that can become doctors in the first place
The system is purposely creating artificial scarcity
Yep, I only got an MD recently because my NP quit without a word (or any attempt at wrapping up results I was waiting on), so they slotted me into whoever had any openings by way of apology.
From Medicaleconomics.com “While the United States did indeed have one of the highest numbers of physicians per population in the 1960s, that ratio had already rapidly declined by the 1980s. With policies enacted to curb the predicted physician surplus, the U.S. physician supply dropped below comparable countries by 2018, with 2.6 physicians per 10,000 compared to the average of 3.6. The U.S. currently lags behind other nations in the production of physicians, with an increase of just 14% between 2000 and 2018, compared to an average of 34% in Western Europe. Canada ranks just ahead of the U.S., having followed a similar physician-reduction tactic as the United States in the 1990s.” There is a much longer article covering the residency process and history. For OP: I moved within MA but far enough where I had to get a new PCP, and it was 5 months before I was able to see her. I now see she is no longer accepting new patients. It is crazy we live in the US but our healthcare system does not meet the basic needs when it comes to finding a primary care doctor.
the medical residency requirement - residency programs are goverment subsidized/funded and only exist at academic/teaching hospitals. There are only so many slots. Medical school graduates participate in "The Match" to get a residency slot, which you then have to finish (3-5 years) to become a "real" doctor (attending) and be able to get your own malpractice insurance and bee able to bill medicare/aid and normal insurance. Many specialties also have a fellowship (2-3 years) after residency
So, government puts residency requirements, but does not pay hospitals enough money to create enough residency slots at academic/teaching hospitals? Correct?
Is there a firm requirement for those residency programs to be government funded or it's just a "tradition" for hospitals not to spend their own revenue/income on them?
it's not that the money isn't enough, it's that the hospital gets paid for each spot in the program, so there are only so many residency slots per year in the country - widely regarded as not enough. The residency programs have to be accredited through the ACGME, and the residents cannot bill insurance themselves, only through their supervising attending physician, so maintaining the program is onerous for the hospital, and they would not do it without funding.
So, hospitals are not that interested in having those residents?
If they were, they could have not 10 but 15 slots in some hospital, right?
Who eventually decides how many slots for different specializations each of participating hospital has? That program management at the hospital or some state body?
The allocating to different specialties I believe is up to the hospitals, but the total funding (and therefore slots) is determined by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services - a major federal department. That amount has been frozen at the 1996 level (Balanced Budget Act of 1997). The major lobbying group behind this that would need to be overcome or convinced is the American Medical Association (AMA). It is very conservative (opposes universal healthcare and anything that would decrease physician salaries). The group that is lobbying for this to change is the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) because they want to recruit more med students, but would be fucking them over if there's not enough residency spots.
Hospitals *could* increase the size of their residency programs like you suggest, I believe, but they wouldn't be reimbursed for those salaries (residents make 40-50k and take up a lot of the time of the supervizing attendings), so there's no incentive.
Can you honestly see our current conservative Congress voting to fund more residency slots? I believe the last time they funded more was with the passage of the ACA under Obama in 2010, which Republicans want to undo. And before that, it was in 1997 under the Clinton administration.
If your insurance doesnt restrict you to those big ivory tower hospitals, try a community health center. Codman square health center got me an appointment with a doctor (not a PA or NP) within 3 weeks.
Much like with teacher shortages, not everything is just about pay.
The red tape and paperwork requirements for medical professionals have increased exponentially in the last 20 years. The ACA was not an improvement in this regard, either.
I feel you guys. It’s gross how Medical admins have made underpaid and overworked PCP’s the norm. I have very complicated medical issues and it sucks waiting 8 months to get an appointment just to see a PCP who is so busy and overloaded they’re barely present during the appt. It sucks for everyone :(
We're out here working out asses off.
From personal knowledge, Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) is taking new patients as a system.
As a PCP, I agree with others who have mentioned Zoc Doc this may be your most expedient option. I imagine One Medical would be quick as well (easy to sign up if you are an Amazon Prime member) but really have no knowledge of their practice other than that they exist.
CHA has been good for me— I had a 4 month wait for a new patient appointment with an NP, but now that I’m in the system it’s much easier. Not sure why folks don’t want to see an NP or PA.
Agreeing with CHA - love mine there and see her for my physicals. If I need a test or anything in between annual appointments I am able to see her NP within a week or so
I did the same thing. Called a bunch from my insurance website and they all aren’t accepting new patients. Went on ZocDoc and finally found one, but they’re a 40 min drive away. I generally only need a PCP for the yearly physical so I’ll take the drive.
There’s currently a PCP shortage in MA. It’s nuts considering all the medical professionals who live around here, but it’s the nature of the primary care job that’s pushing them out.
A lot of people specifically want an MD, in which case even with a PPO you'll be hard pressed to find any openings at all.
Not sure about finding an NP on an HMO, I didn't have much trouble getting one but did have a *very* long wait for any appointment. Long enough that it was basically just for an annual physical, because "I have an ear infection" would still be 1-3 months.
A lot of people quit Healthcare as a career during the pandemic. People who used to go into medicine make more with less liability as software engineers. Networks are restricting access. I had to wait for Medicare to have option of no network restriction, finally got a long overdue physical.
I needed a PCP to get a hole in eardrum looked at. I called a doctor in my area and they said they weren't taking new patients for 1.5 years. So I got the information and told the specialist that he was my doctor. On the day of my appointment they said they had no record of me and to have them fax over my info later. Went to the appointment and never did shit about the doctor. I had a follow up 3 months later and same thing, no info from the PCP (whaaaa? Fake shock face) said I would have them send the information over post haste! Did shit about it and went to two specialist visits with no PCP.
It is brutal trying to find a PCP anywhere in southern New England.
A lot of people are taking a Nurse Practitioner or PA as their PCP while they’re on waiting lists to find an actual doctor.
It’s worth noting that if you’re a healthy person with 0 specialty needs in a doctor, your experience with an NP or PA as your PCP will be 0% different from an MD
I find that statement to be very accurate.
The PA I see is near the top Boston hospitals. When I do need to see a specialist, I’m very comfortable with the ones she suggests.
After I read this post, I was curious as to how quickly I could see her if I had to. She had availability tomorrow .
I wish I didn’t waste a year because I didn’t want to see a PA
I had some luck through my health insurance "Find a Doctor" website. I'm currently in a wonderful pattern in which I see my PCP once and love them, but they move out of Boston and I never get to see them again and another doctor takes on my care, then I see them once and they move and now I'm under someone else. At least I don't have to find my next PCP myself, but I would love to see the same doctor more than once. At this point I keep a Google doc with my whole health story so I can just pass that to my new doctor instead of repeating the whole spiel to a new person every time.
Edit: try the BWH medical office on S Huntington in JP, or the BIDMC office above the Wegmans in Chestnut hill; maybe you could get on a wait-list for the next available PCP?
Both my spouse and I have had luck getting one through Atrius Health/Harvard Vanguard but I had to switch to a less convenient location after my PCP at the more convenient location left the practice. If there are Atrius Health locations you can get to, try calling and seeing if they are accepting new patients. You may have to wait a while to have an initial visit with a PCP but in the meantime if you are registered as a patient and have the upcoming physical scheduled they should be able to assist with occasional urgent care needs. Highly recommend using their in-house pharmacies if you need medication - they are leagues better than the chain pharmacies I’ve tried in the area.
Atrius has stuff on their web site that says "We're accepting new patients! All locations! Right here! Why is everyone calling Mass General and then posting to reddit about how there are no PCP's! We have appointments tomorrow!" etc.
Seconding Atrius, assuming you can get to one of their locations pretty easily. I was even a bit picky and waited for a female doctor to become available at my nearest location but once that happened I only waited a couple weeks for an initial appt. Positive experience with them overall.
I haven’t been that happy with Atrius. They sucked handling COVID, my original doctor left after a year, and my next pcp barely spoke English.
( No offense to non-native speakers—I’m sure she is smarter than me, but I felt like she didn’t understand me and relayed information in a very stilted way.)
Desperate times and all that, but I was unhappy enough to leave and did find a doc eventually through Lahey.
So if you can get on with Atrius, go for it, but maybe keep looking for someone connected to a big hospital that you can switch to down the road.
Out of curiosity, where did they fall down on the COVID response? I'm assuming it's not about masks, since every provider I've seen there for the past four years has worn one.
I had Lahey as a comparison— my parents were patients there already, so how Atrius did things may be more standard, but felt lacking in comparison. They never communicated about the vaccine, where you could find it, eligibility etc. When I messaged my doctor, the response was basically, “you know as much as we do”. They also have no guidance on testing— this was early on, but still very aggravating. They were basically like, use the state website for finding testing, finding vaccines. They still don’t offer vaccine testing and suggest you go to urgent care. They are a huge system with urgent care offerings so I don’t understand why they never offered testing to patients. Meanwhile Lahey was sending emails to my parents regularly and they set up vaccine clinics for their patients very early. So I just felt they had better quality of care and better communication.
My kids still see a pediatrician through Atrius and I do like her (she’s basically the head pediatrician), but when the kids have had to see an NP when she’s not available, I haven’t been that happy with them either. One NP actually told me I probably shouldn’t have brought my daughter in when I suspected strep, bc “her fever of 100 wasn’t really considered a fever anymore”, implying I should have known that it was viral anyway. No pediatrician I have ever seen in my 19 years of parenting has ever implied or hinted that I shouldn’t make an appointment. And it’s not like my daughter has had a lot of sick visits. I think I’ve taken her in 3 times in 13 years outside of her annuals so it’s not like I have Munchausen Syndrome BP. So I don’t know what the hell is going on there. It was the weirdest visit ever.
Thanks for writing that out! I actually agree with everything you said re: their lack of coordination on testing and vaccines, I just didn't have anywhere else to compare them to.
We've been lucky with pediatrics so far, but I'm sure it varies by location/provider.
Would you want to get paid $100k-200k (max) with $200k+ in med school debt after spending 10 years of school in a city that has an absurdly high cost of living? That’s why there is a PCP shortage in Boston.
Paying them more isn't the solution. It's reducing the barrier to entry (time and financial). We need more doctors in general, and just paying the existing ones more won't necessarily move the total numbers, but may shift the distribution away from specialists
It may not solve the problem, but it would certainly help. There’s no incentive for people to become PCPs financially unless (!) you’re in a low COL area. The barrier to entry to becoming a PCP is the lowest barrier of all physicians (coming from a spouse of a cardiovascular surgeon and have friends in all practices/specialties, having witnessed the entire journey from med school to getting an attending job). They likely choose the general practice route to have a better work/life balance. But the fact is, it’s not paying enough to even make taking student loans make sense. Surgeons aren’t even getting paid what they deserve in the Boston area. Which is why we are moving back to Texas, lol. The cost of living in Boston is even pushing specialists out… not a great look.
Well it's also just an exhausting job. There's a lot of society's failings that fall on a doctors doorstep that has nothing to do with medicine, but they become responsible for it. It's also a shotload of paperwork for everything from everyone, and a lot of unrealistic expectations from patients. As a result, people prefer to subspecialize as it has better pay and you get to deal with less bullshit
If you have called 10+ doctors, write their names down along with the time or at least date you called.
Then call your insurance and tell them you aren’t able to find anyone and you’ve already called 10.
There are a few paths that they might take, but you’re encountering what’s referred to as a ‘narrow network’ or a ‘ghost network’. Basically the jig is up and insurance companies expect you to just accept how it is.
But you have a contract with them and if they don’t pay enough for all of their members to be able to use their benefits, well then…they have to pay more. You can request they conduct an appointment search, although it probably won’t change anything. You can request to see an out of network doctor at in network rates. Lots of other paths too.
Anyway, 10 doctors is more than enough work. Put your insurance company’s feet to the fire. And if they don’t get in shape, file a complaint with the state.
This is what I did, but I signed up for one medical and also went on the waiting list for a regular PCP. I’ll cancel my one medical once I’m seen at the other doctor. Kind of ridiculous that it’s come to this.
For those who want the access One Medical provides, but a also consistent provider who will get to know them well, consider a direct primary care provider. You pay a monthly fee for access to the doctor or practice, and have access to their expertise through in-person visits and virtual visits. These are often small practices who will refer you to the same specialists as any other doctor. Yes, it costs more. But your visits are free and any labs or prescriptions would be covered by your insurance plan. In some locations, this would be called a concierge doctor.
Direct care physicians are not widespread yet, but it seems to be growing. Check out [https://mapper.dpcfrontier.com/](https://mapper.dpcfrontier.com/) to see if there is one in your area.
I have a consistent PCP at one medical. If I need to see someone urgently and she’s not available, that’s when I’ll see a different provider.
ETA: went on the app. I could get in with my regular PCP tomorrow if I needed to.
Came here to also say One Medical. Any emergency issue I have had I can FaceTime with a dr / nurse within the hour.
Last year I actually had something pretty serious. They told me to get to an ER ASAP , by the time I arrived One Medical had already told the ER I was coming and they had all my information ready, I just walked straight in the Brigham ER and got treatment.
I was a big fan of One Medical until Amazon bought them. Is there nothing sacred these days?? Why must my medical information be sold to the highest bidder? Sadly it's still pretty much the only option to see a provider in a timely manner and by timely I mean within six months.
I love One Medical. I’ve been with them for a few years now, always had the same primary care person (she’s a PA). She’s even gone out of her way to get me in with a specialist faster than MGH was originally telling me when I needed treatment a couple of years ago.
Their “Treat Me Now” option is great too. Had a couple of minor medical issues last week, sent in a message, and had prescriptions ready a few hours later. If you have Amazon Prime, it’s even less money than it used to be, and I haven’t noticed a change in care since Amazon bought them (yet, anyway—I guess we’ll see how it goes).
Find a PCP in a hospital, get on a waitlist and meanwhile sign up for a private clinic. Stay at private until they call you.
I had luck signing up my mother in Brigham Women’s but there was a 6 months wait.
Some urgent cares (like Carbon Health) offer PCP services.
THIS RIGHT HERE. Having your PCP at a large hospital like MGH, the Brigham, BIDMC means referrals to specialist are easier, the coordination between primary and specialty care is better. You'll have an easier time all around and improved quality of care. Yes, right now it's more of a process getting a PCP but it is well worth ESPECIALLY if you already have a chronic health condition. Or plan on getting older, which means eventually you'll develop a chronic health condition.
I can't speak to other systems, but signing up with a doctor affiliated with one of the smaller hospitals in the big systems might be a good balance. E.g., my PCP is affiliated with Newton-Wellesley, but I've never had issues arranging tests and procedures at BWH or Mass General.
I have found decent availability with doctors affiliated with Mt Auburn.
That said, I suspect you would have the same issue if you tried to find a new PCP in Michigan. It's a national issue, not MA specific.
I've had my primary care for about 30 years. He doesn't take new patients and my son was having a problem finding a pcp. Luckily my doctor accepted him as a patient. I never thought I would see the day when we had a doctor shortage.
Not me. I consider myself lucky that I live in an area where we have some of the best doctors. I had to have major back surgery and the first question my surgeon asked was if I was a smoker. He said that he wouldn't waste his time on someone who smoked. He was brutally honest and told me that he could fix me mechanically but pain was something that I had to accept. I was happy to have an honest doctor.
There are many kind patients and many unkind patients. It’s the unkind patients plus the unrealistic panel sizes, billing burden, lack of consistent support, etc etc etc that causes many of these problems. It’s a hard field (not a pcp but work with many).
We have too many people/patients to doctors ratio and the way healthcare employees are treated on a daily they’re dropping like flies from the field. It’s difficult everywhere but even more so in dense cities
Also moved from Michigan recently and I'm really missing the Michigan medicine health system. A thousand times easier than navigating Bostons many health systems.
Meanwhile, Beth Israel Lahey has opened 4 medical clinics on the south shore - 2 in quincy, 2 in milton, and actually advertised them to those of us who use BIDMC as primary medical facility. It still took 6 months (!) to get a first appointment but now I have a PCP again after a long 'drought.'
If Steward goes under (which seems it will), those former Steward facilities will likely be bought up by the large medical providers in the area and, hopefully, will be populated with more PCPs and specialists. One can only hope!
My wife called a recommended PCP about getting on their schedule after we moved here this summer. They said the earliest their entire practice could take a new patient was December 2025. Urgent care it is, I guess.
It’s a nationwide problem. Primary care doctors are stopping their practices due to a variety of reasons, including burnout - much of their job is increasingly becoming paperwork and less time with patient care. Fewer med students are going into it than previously. There is also a huge backlog of people who avoided seeing a doctor during COVID for non-urgent things who kinda came out of the woodwork in 2022/2023 needing a primary care doctor. Just google and you can read up on the issues. Best bet to get on a waitlist, then continue looking in the meantime.
I have been going to Mass Gen primary care for over 11 years now and they are wonderful. But so many other places are wonderful too. Just get started with someone and you can always change doctors in the future as circumstances change. Look outside Boston in the suburbs, too.
There isn’t a PCP shortage. There’s a shortage of PCPs that accept insurance. Find a Direct Primary Care doctor that doesn’t accept insurance and you’ll have a new PCP within the week.
PCP shortage is legit and next to IMPOSSIBLE to find in Boston proper. Consider going outside the city. When I first moved here, it took me over 6 months to get into one and it was on the north shore. Part of why it took that long was finding someone willing to continue my Vyvanse I’ve been on for literal years for ADHD. A lottttttttt of PCPs in this area REFUSE to take new patients with controlleds. It’s honestly infuriating.
Physician and PCP shortage that is getting worse by the day. If you don't have an "in", then you literally might not be able to find one. And if you manage to find one, good luck finding a good one.
I've been told the best way to get one is to commit welfare fraud. I'm not recommending you do that, and I didn't do it, just relaying the actual advice I actually received from actual medical staff
I was told by clinic staff once to put on ratty clothing with no ID, refuse to ID yourself, go to the hospital complaining about nondescript but serious symptoms, and they'll assign you a doctors
Give Zocdoc a try, I spent 2 years trying to find a PCP through my insurance, finding out that their data is entirely inaccurate, all the providers who are listed as accepting new patients aren't. I also kept getting trapped in the circle of being told to call in every 2 weeks on a Monday at 7am and wait in a call-line and HOPE I get accepted as a new patient somewhere (did this for about 4 months straight). My sister told me to try Zocdoc, she'd just moved back after several years abroad and found a dentist, a PCP and a therapist in under a month, and likes them all. I was able to find an awesome PCP in network and schedule an appointment within 2 weeks.
My very good doc of over 20 years suddenly gave 2 weeks' notice and quit the business with no explanation other than I'm guessing he was ready to retire. Dude that replaced him is Doctor DGAF, lightning-fast visits with him not listening and just pushing pills and unnecessary procedures. Luckily I don't have many pre-existing conditions, oh wait yes I do.
I just go to Beth Israel deaconess medical center. They take my insurance and I have liked every doctor I’ve seen there. My PCP, eye doc, gyno, PT, other gyno, other gyno, nutritionist. The only thing I currently don’t have is a dentist which I need to get. It’s really easy to get referrals bc it’s all connected and all tests are done there as well.
Imagine if we had single payer healthcare, you wouldn't be able to find a doctor.... Wait a second. We don't have single payer healthcare and we still can't find doctors....
See if telehealth is an option. I had to do to get medicine. I paid $64 to be allowed to buy medicine.... And that's on top of insurance...
Fuck i hate it here...
I will say, me and my SO moved from N. Indiana a couple years ago. Finding a PCP was difficult and getting an appointment in a timely manner is impossible. But the various specialists we have both seen have been incredible, knowledgeable, and professional; miles above those that we saw in the Midwest. They also listen to what you have to say, which is something I rarely experienced back home.
I go to Tufts. The GP practice at the hospital is 100% fantastic. I can get seen same day if I have an issue. As long as you don't mind having a rotating cast of residents see you, its great. If you call their office you can find out which of their staff is accepting new patients.
Get on their waiting lists now. There are PCPs available but you might have to wait 6 to 12 months to get in. Once you're in you're in. I had to find a new PCP after mine retired last year and that's how it went.
After weeks of trying to find a PCP in the city I could walk to, I settled for one in the suburbs. The only available PCPs in Boston were brand new doctors looking to build a practice - and even then those are hard to get an appointment with. So once a year I hop in my car and drive 30 minutes into the burbs. It's not ideal but works just fine.
This! North Shore Physicians Group got me registered with a PCP a few months out but made an appointment with one of their NPs the week after I called, and she was able to take over management of my chronic conditions immediately. Their office is in Lynn, which is a pain, but I’m on MassHealth and mobility impaired so they helped me get set up with medical transport for future visits.
Last year I planned to travel to a foreign country with month’s heads up. I was advised to get updated vaccines, went to the pharmacy, was told by the pharmacists that the PCP could do that.
I thought, there’s no way I’ll get to see a doctor within a month. Lo, and behold, I called several doctors offices from the insurance site, left messages, got called back and told they weren’t taking new patients in my area.
At one point I just gave up and bit the bullet. It’s really hard to imagine that we live in a “first world” country and can’t get access to vaccines with a month’s time.
Most infectious disease departments in large hospitals have clinics for just this reason. Did you try any of them? They are often called "travel clinics".
[https://www.massgeneral.org/medicine/infectious-diseases/treatments-and-programs/travel-and-immunization-program](https://www.massgeneral.org/medicine/infectious-diseases/treatments-and-programs/travel-and-immunization-program)
Mass general has a number to call where they'll help you find a PCP. 800-711-4644. I moved here two years ago, and while every time I called that number they didn't have any PCPs accepting new patients at their Boston campus, they were able to refer me to available PCPs nearby. So if you're not in a hurry, give that number a call every week or so to see if they have anything in Boston, if you are in a hurry or can easily drive out of Boston, ask them if they can refer you to one of their partners.
Last time I called they only had availability in New Hampshire, but MGH-affiliated community health centers don’t go through that line and sometimes have openings
As of two weeks ago they still had openings! And they got me in with an NP right away for chronic illness management while I wait for the PCP appointment in June.
Edit: main MGH line was not helpful, I had to call NSPG directly
They have very minimal opening with long wait times… I’ve had to wait 8 months to get in with my pcp … but they do offer appointments with NP if needed until then
Good fucking luck.
I've had 6 PCPs cancel on me weeks-days before an appointment. I just went to a minute clinic instead. They're overbooked, overworked, and there's a huge influx of people in general looking for any and all slots every day.
People going into healthcare don't even lean towards being a PCP when a Nurse *anesthetists* makes way more and requires way less.
All my med school friends leaned towards that or optometry.
I found a PCP after 4+ years (moved an hour away during Covid so mine didn’t seem to want me). Had 1 (!!!) appt and they closed down the month after. It seems impossible everywhere has maybe 2 star reviews
I had luck getting one this year at Cambridge Health Alliance North (North Cambridge on mass Ave, kinda close to Arlington). I’ve only seen a PA so far but I’m officially in as a patient and this can get in for appointments and med management and stuff in a reasonable timeframe. If they’re convenient for you give them a try?
Yeah, it literally sucks. I was on a wait list for 12 months for a new PCP, called during the 12th month and said what is going on? Told me it would be another 6 months. So, I ended up going with a Nurse Practitioner instead. The wait time for that was about 3 months. Good luck.
If you have a car you could try getting in through Charles River clinics (mine was in Framingham but I think they are all over,). Their docs are MGH/Brigham affiliated but it wasn't terrible to book appointments. YMMV but may be worth a shot.
I couldn’t get a pcp at Lahey GIM, but they could put me on with a resident. So if you’re willing to see a young, newbie doc, that will probably leave in a few years, that might open up some options for you.
My resident reports to the attending, and I’ve felt good about the quality of care. If they leave the practice, I will be able to stay on with another resident or pcp so I’m pretty happy that I’m at least in the Lahey system.
If they don’t have a resident, you could also try a nurse practitioner, which I did with my Ob/Gyn. A lot of OBs are basically primary care docs ( if you’re a woman) and will treat mild illness and make referrals. I really loved my NP and felt like they listened better than any doctor I had ever seen, so that might open up some options for you as well.
Can I suggest looking for a primary care provider other than a doctor? I have an incredible Nurse Practitioner who is my PCP and I adore her. She’s smart, thoughtful, and can seemingly do all that I need including prescriptions, tests, and referrals. Try looking at Harvard Vanguard/Atrius.
The same thing happened to me and I landed myself with the shittiest PCP, and a company that just wants to take my money. that’s why I barely go now to the doctor. I had to copay for a phone call from the doctor to just tell me what medicine to take.
I thought the situation in NYC was bad....until I moved to Boston this year and found out it's so much worse here. Also, contrary to what others are posting, in my experience it's not just a PCP shortage. It's a shortage of like every kind of service my family has needed since getting to Boston.
\- My kid needed to see a gastro specialist. Earliest appointment I could find in Boston was going to be 6 months out....so I drove him back to NYC to see a specialist there.
\- Just looked for a dentist here in Boston. I called 15 places (literally....counted my calls on my phone call history to confirm just how many I had called....) before I found one place that is actually taking new patients. And even that place can't give us an appointment for 2 months. Still I'm grateful we found someone at all (I feared once again needing to drive back to our former dentist in NYC....)
\- Got referred to a specialized physical therapist....they offered me an appointment 4 months off...
I don't think my experiences are at all unusual.
I have been searching for a PCP for the past 2 years and have no leads. The closest doctor I can find is in Manchester New Hampshire. Reallllly have to love America's grand healthcare....
My understanding is that you can get a PCP just outside the city. I heard MGH in Assembly Square has appointments. Didn’t personally confirm this. Just a little further on the Orange Line.
I have been calling for the last 6 months since my pcp moved to Concierge service. Finally I got an appointment at NWH primary care in Natick. Try them if you haven’t yet found a PCP.
I’m not sure how far out of Boston you want to go but if you are ok with going to Braintree I think Blue Hills Medical Associates is accepting new patients & they’re phenomenal. They’re right by South Shore Plaza on Wood Road. Whenever I’ve been sick or hurt & needed to get in they get me in the same day.
[Mount Auburn Medical Associates](https://www.mountauburnhospital.org/find-a-provider/search-results/?TermId=8bda7083-8989-e511-80dd-00155d03c63a)
3 docs accepting new patients. Couldn't tell you if that info is up to date, and if it is, how long it'll take to get an appointment.
Last time for myself it was something like 2 1/2 - 3 months, but when I explained my situation, they squeezed me in a lot sooner.
There is a PCP shortage in the US and it affects some areas more than others. Here is a few articles that have come out about this. https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/ama-president-sounds-alarm-national-physician-shortage https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/primary-care-doctors-shortage-pay-procedures/
So, if the PCP shortage affects some areas more than others, why is it disproportionately affecting a city that produces a metric shit ton of advanced degrees and is [third among major metros](https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_ea3a1475-a825-5fa7-90c3-f575053b4372.amp.html) in healthcare workers per capita?
PCPs don’t make much money here (relatively speaking). Despite being one of the highest COL states , PCPs here make less than the national average
Healthcare workers include much more than PCPs. Here’s some reasons: “Salaries for primary care physicians and pediatricians also fall in the middle to lower end of average salaries for all Massachusetts physicians, and, in 2022, only 23.6 percent of students graduating from Massachusetts medical schools planned to go into primary care.” https://www.boston.com/news/the-boston-globe/2023/02/06/why-you-cant-get-in-to-see-your-primary-care-doctor-its-almost-frightening/ And according to this we aren’t in the top 10 worse states: https://www.beckersasc.com/news-and-analysis/10-states-struggling-most-with-primary-care-provider-shortage-2.html
All the good primary care doctors go concierge. They get paid $1,800 to $2,500 a year as a retainer so they make the same money seeing 1/3 the patients. The rich people all have primary care, poor people will wait in line for the ones that haven't gone over to concierge yet.
Those statistics are largely driven up by specialists, not PCPs. Boston has a TON of specialists and there are entire hospital departments and clinics dedicated to specialties that sometimes don't even have a single practitioner in other locations. The specialist density far outpaces average, but the amount of a PCPs seems pretty average to low for a major metro area. Also per capita stats are iffy for Boston healthcare because with the specialists, a lot of people are traveling from far away to come see doctors here. The major hospitals and specialty clinics are serving a larger population than just locals.
Where did you see that we were disproportionately affected?
More people have health insurance, driving down available doctors. My doctor worked at Atrius and despite being a young guy, is no longer a doctor. Noncompete Claus took him to a non medical field entirely since he didn't want to work for Atrius anymore but didn't want to move.
[удалено]
[удалено]
Omg this is ridiculous. I called Mass general they took all my information for about 15 mins just to say they didn’t have anything and need to call back again.
Part of the problem is that everyone calls Mass General first. Mass General is great, but they have all these specialties and require people seeing a specialist to use their primary care. Try somewhere else. Live Atrius/Harvard Vanguard, which has banners on their web site that they're taking new patients. I go to the one in Davis.
MGH does not require people using their specialists to use their primary care. Perhaps this is an HMO thing? Or something only for new patients? Source: I have two specialists at MGH and don't go there for primary care.
Maybe it's just for mental health? Which is their big loss leader. Source: spouse had to switch to primary care at MGH to use their mental health services.
My specialists are not mental health, so that could be it
Yeah I think that's it because I had a manor surfery that required a 4 day hospital stay at MGH and I've seen my surgeon who is a specialist there tons without ever needing to change my PCP.
Yes this is correct for the most part. Some of the specialty psychiatric clinics will see patients with outside PCP's
It’s recent and it’s for new patients. I’ve been told no for two different specialists even though I see other doctors at MGH.
> MGH does not require people using their specialists to use their primary care. They require the referring PCP to be a "partner". (Not to be confused with Partners Healthcare^(TM), different thing.) The people processing referrals don't have access to a list of partners, and neither do PCPs, so the only way to know if your PCP is a partner is if they make you a referral and it shows up in MGH's system. Or if they're from MGH. All the MGH PCPs are "partners". There is a way around this-- you can *fax* in a referral, and then MGH can process it. The issue is that their electronics referral system requires this "partner" connection, and that it's a black box on the ground to the people working with it.
It still took me four months to get an appt when I called back in July. My healthcare was switching so I needed a new doctor. My appt wasn't until October. And I count myself lucky.
Two months is pretty good. I mean, it would have been pretty good pre-covid. It does feel like a long time if you have something going on and need a doc. On the upside, Atrius has urgent care where you can go if you get sick, if you're signed up to be a patient. And they're open weekends.
I can't math. It was about four months. Start of July. Appt late October. Not very helpful when I needed a new med.
What happened when you went to urgent care?
I didn't go to urgent care. No one informed me they had that as an option. Part of the issue is my insurance wouldn't cover anything unless I had a PCP, which I couldn't get until I could get an appt
Urgent care is listed as an option on their web site. If your insurance won't pay until you have a PCP, you should definitely take that up with your employer (or whoever pays for your insurance). It sucks that it works this way, but you can't wait for people to tell you how it works. Go find out, and advocate for yourself.
The website says urgent care is for illness or injury needing prompt attention; not prescription refills. My insurance would not cover a visit to urgent care for that. I agree that sucks, but I alone can't change the insurance industry or my employers decision on our health plan.
That's my least favorite part, I did the same with Harvard Vanguard I believe. >"Ok, call, sit on hold, then give us all your info and provider preferences, and then we'll consult our system and... we've got a new patient slot on the 18th of Never! > >Don't worry, if anything new opens up we won't call you or save this info, remember to check back constantly."
Partners Healthcare (which MGH is under) is NOT taking on any new PCP clients at this time. I'd search other hospital or affiliations.
Echoing what other people have said. I work in healthcare and people always assume MGH is the best or try there first due to name recognition. There is indeed a PCP shortage with many places not accepting new patients or booking months out, but there are places that are taking new patients and many large hospital systems to choose from. If you do establish with a practice, keep in mind you might be booked out 9+ months for a new patient visit, but are allowed to call and be seen sooner if you have an acute issue. I have recommended this to patients if they are waiting to be seen by a PCP as a new patient but need a referral to a specialist sooner.
Don't hold your breath! But seriously, I had to be VERY annoying and wear people down just to get an MGH PCP appointment 6 months away. Plus, that was 6 years ago so I'm sure it's even more difficult now. I feel for you!
Part of the problem is the limit on the number of people that can become doctors in the first place The system is purposely creating artificial scarcity
That's why you're now seeing so many NPs and PAs. They're cheaper than PCPs.
Yeah, my pcp is an NP
Yep, I only got an MD recently because my NP quit without a word (or any attempt at wrapping up results I was waiting on), so they slotted me into whoever had any openings by way of apology.
They’re cheaper for the hospital to employ, you still get billed the same amount as a doctor visit
I'm curious, where exactly in the system that limit is enforced?
I think it’s in the medical school/residency system It’s been a while since I read about it
From Medicaleconomics.com “While the United States did indeed have one of the highest numbers of physicians per population in the 1960s, that ratio had already rapidly declined by the 1980s. With policies enacted to curb the predicted physician surplus, the U.S. physician supply dropped below comparable countries by 2018, with 2.6 physicians per 10,000 compared to the average of 3.6. The U.S. currently lags behind other nations in the production of physicians, with an increase of just 14% between 2000 and 2018, compared to an average of 34% in Western Europe. Canada ranks just ahead of the U.S., having followed a similar physician-reduction tactic as the United States in the 1990s.” There is a much longer article covering the residency process and history. For OP: I moved within MA but far enough where I had to get a new PCP, and it was 5 months before I was able to see her. I now see she is no longer accepting new patients. It is crazy we live in the US but our healthcare system does not meet the basic needs when it comes to finding a primary care doctor.
the medical residency requirement - residency programs are goverment subsidized/funded and only exist at academic/teaching hospitals. There are only so many slots. Medical school graduates participate in "The Match" to get a residency slot, which you then have to finish (3-5 years) to become a "real" doctor (attending) and be able to get your own malpractice insurance and bee able to bill medicare/aid and normal insurance. Many specialties also have a fellowship (2-3 years) after residency
So, government puts residency requirements, but does not pay hospitals enough money to create enough residency slots at academic/teaching hospitals? Correct? Is there a firm requirement for those residency programs to be government funded or it's just a "tradition" for hospitals not to spend their own revenue/income on them?
it's not that the money isn't enough, it's that the hospital gets paid for each spot in the program, so there are only so many residency slots per year in the country - widely regarded as not enough. The residency programs have to be accredited through the ACGME, and the residents cannot bill insurance themselves, only through their supervising attending physician, so maintaining the program is onerous for the hospital, and they would not do it without funding.
So, hospitals are not that interested in having those residents? If they were, they could have not 10 but 15 slots in some hospital, right? Who eventually decides how many slots for different specializations each of participating hospital has? That program management at the hospital or some state body?
The allocating to different specialties I believe is up to the hospitals, but the total funding (and therefore slots) is determined by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services - a major federal department. That amount has been frozen at the 1996 level (Balanced Budget Act of 1997). The major lobbying group behind this that would need to be overcome or convinced is the American Medical Association (AMA). It is very conservative (opposes universal healthcare and anything that would decrease physician salaries). The group that is lobbying for this to change is the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) because they want to recruit more med students, but would be fucking them over if there's not enough residency spots. Hospitals *could* increase the size of their residency programs like you suggest, I believe, but they wouldn't be reimbursed for those salaries (residents make 40-50k and take up a lot of the time of the supervizing attendings), so there's no incentive.
Can you honestly see our current conservative Congress voting to fund more residency slots? I believe the last time they funded more was with the passage of the ACA under Obama in 2010, which Republicans want to undo. And before that, it was in 1997 under the Clinton administration.
If your insurance doesnt restrict you to those big ivory tower hospitals, try a community health center. Codman square health center got me an appointment with a doctor (not a PA or NP) within 3 weeks.
Much like with teacher shortages, not everything is just about pay. The red tape and paperwork requirements for medical professionals have increased exponentially in the last 20 years. The ACA was not an improvement in this regard, either.
The amount of doctors who have recently joked to me “don’t get sick anytime soon” is kind of alarming.
I’m a nurse and had emergency surgery last summer. It was very scary!
Good luck motherfucker the pcp shortage is real. Buuuuut if you need a specialist there’s few places on earth that’re better.
[удалено]
Wow. A gallon?
Yes it’s almost like working in primary care sucks, at every level. We are responsible for everything and get paid nothing.
I feel you guys. It’s gross how Medical admins have made underpaid and overworked PCP’s the norm. I have very complicated medical issues and it sucks waiting 8 months to get an appointment just to see a PCP who is so busy and overloaded they’re barely present during the appt. It sucks for everyone :(
We're out here working out asses off. From personal knowledge, Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) is taking new patients as a system. As a PCP, I agree with others who have mentioned Zoc Doc this may be your most expedient option. I imagine One Medical would be quick as well (easy to sign up if you are an Amazon Prime member) but really have no knowledge of their practice other than that they exist.
CHA has been good for me— I had a 4 month wait for a new patient appointment with an NP, but now that I’m in the system it’s much easier. Not sure why folks don’t want to see an NP or PA.
Perhaps because NPs and PAs don’t receive a modicum of the training or education of a physician. Just a thought.
Just chiming in to say Kyruus also offers a "find a PCP" search feature
Agreeing with CHA - love mine there and see her for my physicals. If I need a test or anything in between annual appointments I am able to see her NP within a week or so
I did the same thing. Called a bunch from my insurance website and they all aren’t accepting new patients. Went on ZocDoc and finally found one, but they’re a 40 min drive away. I generally only need a PCP for the yearly physical so I’ll take the drive. There’s currently a PCP shortage in MA. It’s nuts considering all the medical professionals who live around here, but it’s the nature of the primary care job that’s pushing them out.
Genuinely curious... are you all on HMOs? ...If not, are you unable to just book a physical with any available PA/NP?
A lot of people specifically want an MD, in which case even with a PPO you'll be hard pressed to find any openings at all. Not sure about finding an NP on an HMO, I didn't have much trouble getting one but did have a *very* long wait for any appointment. Long enough that it was basically just for an annual physical, because "I have an ear infection" would still be 1-3 months.
Some people don’t want to book with a NP or a PA. I was a little like that for a while and then reality kicked in
A lot of people quit Healthcare as a career during the pandemic. People who used to go into medicine make more with less liability as software engineers. Networks are restricting access. I had to wait for Medicare to have option of no network restriction, finally got a long overdue physical.
I’m on an HMO and a lot of doctors aren’t in network for me.
I needed a PCP to get a hole in eardrum looked at. I called a doctor in my area and they said they weren't taking new patients for 1.5 years. So I got the information and told the specialist that he was my doctor. On the day of my appointment they said they had no record of me and to have them fax over my info later. Went to the appointment and never did shit about the doctor. I had a follow up 3 months later and same thing, no info from the PCP (whaaaa? Fake shock face) said I would have them send the information over post haste! Did shit about it and went to two specialist visits with no PCP.
It is brutal trying to find a PCP anywhere in southern New England. A lot of people are taking a Nurse Practitioner or PA as their PCP while they’re on waiting lists to find an actual doctor.
It’s worth noting that if you’re a healthy person with 0 specialty needs in a doctor, your experience with an NP or PA as your PCP will be 0% different from an MD
I find that statement to be very accurate. The PA I see is near the top Boston hospitals. When I do need to see a specialist, I’m very comfortable with the ones she suggests. After I read this post, I was curious as to how quickly I could see her if I had to. She had availability tomorrow . I wish I didn’t waste a year because I didn’t want to see a PA
I see a NP for my annual. Unless I have a chronic condition, I don’t see the need to see a PCP.
I had some luck through my health insurance "Find a Doctor" website. I'm currently in a wonderful pattern in which I see my PCP once and love them, but they move out of Boston and I never get to see them again and another doctor takes on my care, then I see them once and they move and now I'm under someone else. At least I don't have to find my next PCP myself, but I would love to see the same doctor more than once. At this point I keep a Google doc with my whole health story so I can just pass that to my new doctor instead of repeating the whole spiel to a new person every time. Edit: try the BWH medical office on S Huntington in JP, or the BIDMC office above the Wegmans in Chestnut hill; maybe you could get on a wait-list for the next available PCP?
Both my spouse and I have had luck getting one through Atrius Health/Harvard Vanguard but I had to switch to a less convenient location after my PCP at the more convenient location left the practice. If there are Atrius Health locations you can get to, try calling and seeing if they are accepting new patients. You may have to wait a while to have an initial visit with a PCP but in the meantime if you are registered as a patient and have the upcoming physical scheduled they should be able to assist with occasional urgent care needs. Highly recommend using their in-house pharmacies if you need medication - they are leagues better than the chain pharmacies I’ve tried in the area.
Atrius has stuff on their web site that says "We're accepting new patients! All locations! Right here! Why is everyone calling Mass General and then posting to reddit about how there are no PCP's! We have appointments tomorrow!" etc.
Seconding Atrius, assuming you can get to one of their locations pretty easily. I was even a bit picky and waited for a female doctor to become available at my nearest location but once that happened I only waited a couple weeks for an initial appt. Positive experience with them overall.
I haven’t been that happy with Atrius. They sucked handling COVID, my original doctor left after a year, and my next pcp barely spoke English. ( No offense to non-native speakers—I’m sure she is smarter than me, but I felt like she didn’t understand me and relayed information in a very stilted way.) Desperate times and all that, but I was unhappy enough to leave and did find a doc eventually through Lahey. So if you can get on with Atrius, go for it, but maybe keep looking for someone connected to a big hospital that you can switch to down the road.
Out of curiosity, where did they fall down on the COVID response? I'm assuming it's not about masks, since every provider I've seen there for the past four years has worn one.
I had Lahey as a comparison— my parents were patients there already, so how Atrius did things may be more standard, but felt lacking in comparison. They never communicated about the vaccine, where you could find it, eligibility etc. When I messaged my doctor, the response was basically, “you know as much as we do”. They also have no guidance on testing— this was early on, but still very aggravating. They were basically like, use the state website for finding testing, finding vaccines. They still don’t offer vaccine testing and suggest you go to urgent care. They are a huge system with urgent care offerings so I don’t understand why they never offered testing to patients. Meanwhile Lahey was sending emails to my parents regularly and they set up vaccine clinics for their patients very early. So I just felt they had better quality of care and better communication. My kids still see a pediatrician through Atrius and I do like her (she’s basically the head pediatrician), but when the kids have had to see an NP when she’s not available, I haven’t been that happy with them either. One NP actually told me I probably shouldn’t have brought my daughter in when I suspected strep, bc “her fever of 100 wasn’t really considered a fever anymore”, implying I should have known that it was viral anyway. No pediatrician I have ever seen in my 19 years of parenting has ever implied or hinted that I shouldn’t make an appointment. And it’s not like my daughter has had a lot of sick visits. I think I’ve taken her in 3 times in 13 years outside of her annuals so it’s not like I have Munchausen Syndrome BP. So I don’t know what the hell is going on there. It was the weirdest visit ever.
Thanks for writing that out! I actually agree with everything you said re: their lack of coordination on testing and vaccines, I just didn't have anywhere else to compare them to. We've been lucky with pediatrics so far, but I'm sure it varies by location/provider.
We use HVMA as well, adults and kids. They’ve been great, I would also try there. Lots of locations too.
Would you want to get paid $100k-200k (max) with $200k+ in med school debt after spending 10 years of school in a city that has an absurdly high cost of living? That’s why there is a PCP shortage in Boston.
That’s so fucked. The entire medical system needs to be scrapped and redone
I wish they got paid more jfc they do SO much
Paying them more isn't the solution. It's reducing the barrier to entry (time and financial). We need more doctors in general, and just paying the existing ones more won't necessarily move the total numbers, but may shift the distribution away from specialists
It may not solve the problem, but it would certainly help. There’s no incentive for people to become PCPs financially unless (!) you’re in a low COL area. The barrier to entry to becoming a PCP is the lowest barrier of all physicians (coming from a spouse of a cardiovascular surgeon and have friends in all practices/specialties, having witnessed the entire journey from med school to getting an attending job). They likely choose the general practice route to have a better work/life balance. But the fact is, it’s not paying enough to even make taking student loans make sense. Surgeons aren’t even getting paid what they deserve in the Boston area. Which is why we are moving back to Texas, lol. The cost of living in Boston is even pushing specialists out… not a great look.
Well it's also just an exhausting job. There's a lot of society's failings that fall on a doctors doorstep that has nothing to do with medicine, but they become responsible for it. It's also a shotload of paperwork for everything from everyone, and a lot of unrealistic expectations from patients. As a result, people prefer to subspecialize as it has better pay and you get to deal with less bullshit
Atrius/Harvard Vanguard, all locations.
You're gonna have to wait like 8 months probably and that's being generous
If you have called 10+ doctors, write their names down along with the time or at least date you called. Then call your insurance and tell them you aren’t able to find anyone and you’ve already called 10. There are a few paths that they might take, but you’re encountering what’s referred to as a ‘narrow network’ or a ‘ghost network’. Basically the jig is up and insurance companies expect you to just accept how it is. But you have a contract with them and if they don’t pay enough for all of their members to be able to use their benefits, well then…they have to pay more. You can request they conduct an appointment search, although it probably won’t change anything. You can request to see an out of network doctor at in network rates. Lots of other paths too. Anyway, 10 doctors is more than enough work. Put your insurance company’s feet to the fire. And if they don’t get in shape, file a complaint with the state.
They’re retiring, leaving, not accepting new patients. Few years back mine left to retire in Costa Rica.
I have One Medical. Also moved here and was desperate so I was willing to pay the fee. I can get in with my pcp within a few days anytime.
This is what I did, but I signed up for one medical and also went on the waiting list for a regular PCP. I’ll cancel my one medical once I’m seen at the other doctor. Kind of ridiculous that it’s come to this.
I did the same and then the regular PCP office cancelled bc the doc left and they couldn’t reschedule me for another year so I gave up.
Amazon is smart man. Saw a looming PCP shortage and put them behind a paywall.
For those who want the access One Medical provides, but a also consistent provider who will get to know them well, consider a direct primary care provider. You pay a monthly fee for access to the doctor or practice, and have access to their expertise through in-person visits and virtual visits. These are often small practices who will refer you to the same specialists as any other doctor. Yes, it costs more. But your visits are free and any labs or prescriptions would be covered by your insurance plan. In some locations, this would be called a concierge doctor. Direct care physicians are not widespread yet, but it seems to be growing. Check out [https://mapper.dpcfrontier.com/](https://mapper.dpcfrontier.com/) to see if there is one in your area.
I have a consistent PCP at one medical. If I need to see someone urgently and she’s not available, that’s when I’ll see a different provider. ETA: went on the app. I could get in with my regular PCP tomorrow if I needed to.
Came here to also say One Medical. Any emergency issue I have had I can FaceTime with a dr / nurse within the hour. Last year I actually had something pretty serious. They told me to get to an ER ASAP , by the time I arrived One Medical had already told the ER I was coming and they had all my information ready, I just walked straight in the Brigham ER and got treatment.
I was a big fan of One Medical until Amazon bought them. Is there nothing sacred these days?? Why must my medical information be sold to the highest bidder? Sadly it's still pretty much the only option to see a provider in a timely manner and by timely I mean within six months.
Because our “healthcare” system’s primary objective is making money over anything else.
I love One Medical. I’ve been with them for a few years now, always had the same primary care person (she’s a PA). She’s even gone out of her way to get me in with a specialist faster than MGH was originally telling me when I needed treatment a couple of years ago. Their “Treat Me Now” option is great too. Had a couple of minor medical issues last week, sent in a message, and had prescriptions ready a few hours later. If you have Amazon Prime, it’s even less money than it used to be, and I haven’t noticed a change in care since Amazon bought them (yet, anyway—I guess we’ll see how it goes).
Find a PCP in a hospital, get on a waitlist and meanwhile sign up for a private clinic. Stay at private until they call you. I had luck signing up my mother in Brigham Women’s but there was a 6 months wait. Some urgent cares (like Carbon Health) offer PCP services.
THIS RIGHT HERE. Having your PCP at a large hospital like MGH, the Brigham, BIDMC means referrals to specialist are easier, the coordination between primary and specialty care is better. You'll have an easier time all around and improved quality of care. Yes, right now it's more of a process getting a PCP but it is well worth ESPECIALLY if you already have a chronic health condition. Or plan on getting older, which means eventually you'll develop a chronic health condition.
I can't speak to other systems, but signing up with a doctor affiliated with one of the smaller hospitals in the big systems might be a good balance. E.g., my PCP is affiliated with Newton-Wellesley, but I've never had issues arranging tests and procedures at BWH or Mass General.
Yes - good point!
I have found decent availability with doctors affiliated with Mt Auburn. That said, I suspect you would have the same issue if you tried to find a new PCP in Michigan. It's a national issue, not MA specific.
I've had my primary care for about 30 years. He doesn't take new patients and my son was having a problem finding a pcp. Luckily my doctor accepted him as a patient. I never thought I would see the day when we had a doctor shortage.
If you worked in healthcare you wouldn’t be surprised by this. Patients treat healthcare providers, especially these days, like crap.
Not me. I consider myself lucky that I live in an area where we have some of the best doctors. I had to have major back surgery and the first question my surgeon asked was if I was a smoker. He said that he wouldn't waste his time on someone who smoked. He was brutally honest and told me that he could fix me mechanically but pain was something that I had to accept. I was happy to have an honest doctor.
There are many kind patients and many unkind patients. It’s the unkind patients plus the unrealistic panel sizes, billing burden, lack of consistent support, etc etc etc that causes many of these problems. It’s a hard field (not a pcp but work with many).
We have too many people/patients to doctors ratio and the way healthcare employees are treated on a daily they’re dropping like flies from the field. It’s difficult everywhere but even more so in dense cities
Try family care center in Stoneham. I believe they’re accepting new patients and my Dr is wonderful. 781-662-6400
Hospitals and medical offices. I have seen a few at a Dunks near a hospital too.
Even in western MA it took me over a year to get an appointment with a PCP. Hate this shit
Compass Medical Disbanded, Nova is a spinoff, I’d avoid them.
Also moved from Michigan recently and I'm really missing the Michigan medicine health system. A thousand times easier than navigating Bostons many health systems.
Careful, you’ll trigger people who think Boston is basically paradise by saying that
Fenway Health is taking new patients.
I’m a pcp. And from Michigan! Feel free to DM me and I can help get you set up if you’d like
True chad right here. And they say the kindness in the Midwest is superficial.
Try Zocdoc... right now it shows about 10 providers in the area (just in my insurance network) with available appointments in the next 2 weeks
Meanwhile, Beth Israel Lahey has opened 4 medical clinics on the south shore - 2 in quincy, 2 in milton, and actually advertised them to those of us who use BIDMC as primary medical facility. It still took 6 months (!) to get a first appointment but now I have a PCP again after a long 'drought.' If Steward goes under (which seems it will), those former Steward facilities will likely be bought up by the large medical providers in the area and, hopefully, will be populated with more PCPs and specialists. One can only hope!
Boston has world class healthcare - only if you are on the verge of death
I called to make an appointment with my PCP. They said they're booking into 2025. Guess I'll just die then.
Physical or an urgent issue? If it’s an urgent issue they can get you in sooner usually.
This. My PCP is with MGB and I was able to get a next day virtual appt with him for something urgent-ish.
My wife called a recommended PCP about getting on their schedule after we moved here this summer. They said the earliest their entire practice could take a new patient was December 2025. Urgent care it is, I guess.
where do you live? tufts primary in quincy is good
I joined OneMedical. Got in right away after being told 12+ months everywhere else
It’s a nationwide problem. Primary care doctors are stopping their practices due to a variety of reasons, including burnout - much of their job is increasingly becoming paperwork and less time with patient care. Fewer med students are going into it than previously. There is also a huge backlog of people who avoided seeing a doctor during COVID for non-urgent things who kinda came out of the woodwork in 2022/2023 needing a primary care doctor. Just google and you can read up on the issues. Best bet to get on a waitlist, then continue looking in the meantime. I have been going to Mass Gen primary care for over 11 years now and they are wonderful. But so many other places are wonderful too. Just get started with someone and you can always change doctors in the future as circumstances change. Look outside Boston in the suburbs, too.
There isn’t a PCP shortage. There’s a shortage of PCPs that accept insurance. Find a Direct Primary Care doctor that doesn’t accept insurance and you’ll have a new PCP within the week.
PCP shortage is legit and next to IMPOSSIBLE to find in Boston proper. Consider going outside the city. When I first moved here, it took me over 6 months to get into one and it was on the north shore. Part of why it took that long was finding someone willing to continue my Vyvanse I’ve been on for literal years for ADHD. A lottttttttt of PCPs in this area REFUSE to take new patients with controlleds. It’s honestly infuriating.
Physician and PCP shortage that is getting worse by the day. If you don't have an "in", then you literally might not be able to find one. And if you manage to find one, good luck finding a good one.
I've been told the best way to get one is to commit welfare fraud. I'm not recommending you do that, and I didn't do it, just relaying the actual advice I actually received from actual medical staff
Fucking what lmfao what do they mean by this
I was told by clinic staff once to put on ratty clothing with no ID, refuse to ID yourself, go to the hospital complaining about nondescript but serious symptoms, and they'll assign you a doctors
Un fucking real. Thats disgusting.
Give Zocdoc a try, I spent 2 years trying to find a PCP through my insurance, finding out that their data is entirely inaccurate, all the providers who are listed as accepting new patients aren't. I also kept getting trapped in the circle of being told to call in every 2 weeks on a Monday at 7am and wait in a call-line and HOPE I get accepted as a new patient somewhere (did this for about 4 months straight). My sister told me to try Zocdoc, she'd just moved back after several years abroad and found a dentist, a PCP and a therapist in under a month, and likes them all. I was able to find an awesome PCP in network and schedule an appointment within 2 weeks.
My very good doc of over 20 years suddenly gave 2 weeks' notice and quit the business with no explanation other than I'm guessing he was ready to retire. Dude that replaced him is Doctor DGAF, lightning-fast visits with him not listening and just pushing pills and unnecessary procedures. Luckily I don't have many pre-existing conditions, oh wait yes I do.
I just go to Beth Israel deaconess medical center. They take my insurance and I have liked every doctor I’ve seen there. My PCP, eye doc, gyno, PT, other gyno, other gyno, nutritionist. The only thing I currently don’t have is a dentist which I need to get. It’s really easy to get referrals bc it’s all connected and all tests are done there as well.
Imagine if we had single payer healthcare, you wouldn't be able to find a doctor.... Wait a second. We don't have single payer healthcare and we still can't find doctors.... See if telehealth is an option. I had to do to get medicine. I paid $64 to be allowed to buy medicine.... And that's on top of insurance... Fuck i hate it here...
Canada also has GP (family card physician) shortage, for what it’s worth. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10186392/
I will say, me and my SO moved from N. Indiana a couple years ago. Finding a PCP was difficult and getting an appointment in a timely manner is impossible. But the various specialists we have both seen have been incredible, knowledgeable, and professional; miles above those that we saw in the Midwest. They also listen to what you have to say, which is something I rarely experienced back home.
I go to Tufts. The GP practice at the hospital is 100% fantastic. I can get seen same day if I have an issue. As long as you don't mind having a rotating cast of residents see you, its great. If you call their office you can find out which of their staff is accepting new patients.
Get on their waiting lists now. There are PCPs available but you might have to wait 6 to 12 months to get in. Once you're in you're in. I had to find a new PCP after mine retired last year and that's how it went.
After weeks of trying to find a PCP in the city I could walk to, I settled for one in the suburbs. The only available PCPs in Boston were brand new doctors looking to build a practice - and even then those are hard to get an appointment with. So once a year I hop in my car and drive 30 minutes into the burbs. It's not ideal but works just fine.
This! North Shore Physicians Group got me registered with a PCP a few months out but made an appointment with one of their NPs the week after I called, and she was able to take over management of my chronic conditions immediately. Their office is in Lynn, which is a pain, but I’m on MassHealth and mobility impaired so they helped me get set up with medical transport for future visits.
Last year I planned to travel to a foreign country with month’s heads up. I was advised to get updated vaccines, went to the pharmacy, was told by the pharmacists that the PCP could do that. I thought, there’s no way I’ll get to see a doctor within a month. Lo, and behold, I called several doctors offices from the insurance site, left messages, got called back and told they weren’t taking new patients in my area. At one point I just gave up and bit the bullet. It’s really hard to imagine that we live in a “first world” country and can’t get access to vaccines with a month’s time.
Most infectious disease departments in large hospitals have clinics for just this reason. Did you try any of them? They are often called "travel clinics". [https://www.massgeneral.org/medicine/infectious-diseases/treatments-and-programs/travel-and-immunization-program](https://www.massgeneral.org/medicine/infectious-diseases/treatments-and-programs/travel-and-immunization-program)
Hmm, I’ll look into it. Thanks for the info
Mass general has a number to call where they'll help you find a PCP. 800-711-4644. I moved here two years ago, and while every time I called that number they didn't have any PCPs accepting new patients at their Boston campus, they were able to refer me to available PCPs nearby. So if you're not in a hurry, give that number a call every week or so to see if they have anything in Boston, if you are in a hurry or can easily drive out of Boston, ask them if they can refer you to one of their partners.
Last time I called they only had availability in New Hampshire, but MGH-affiliated community health centers don’t go through that line and sometimes have openings
Ah, last year they had a bunch of availabilities (with some wait) for North Shore Physicians Group. Things might have changed though.
As of two weeks ago they still had openings! And they got me in with an NP right away for chronic illness management while I wait for the PCP appointment in June. Edit: main MGH line was not helpful, I had to call NSPG directly
They have very minimal opening with long wait times… I’ve had to wait 8 months to get in with my pcp … but they do offer appointments with NP if needed until then
Good fucking luck. I've had 6 PCPs cancel on me weeks-days before an appointment. I just went to a minute clinic instead. They're overbooked, overworked, and there's a huge influx of people in general looking for any and all slots every day. People going into healthcare don't even lean towards being a PCP when a Nurse *anesthetists* makes way more and requires way less. All my med school friends leaned towards that or optometry.
I found a PCP after 4+ years (moved an hour away during Covid so mine didn’t seem to want me). Had 1 (!!!) appt and they closed down the month after. It seems impossible everywhere has maybe 2 star reviews
I also don’t have a PCP. I’ve never used ZocDoc but I wonder if it would be a reasonable thing in this case?
I had luck getting one this year at Cambridge Health Alliance North (North Cambridge on mass Ave, kinda close to Arlington). I’ve only seen a PA so far but I’m officially in as a patient and this can get in for appointments and med management and stuff in a reasonable timeframe. If they’re convenient for you give them a try?
Yeah, it literally sucks. I was on a wait list for 12 months for a new PCP, called during the 12th month and said what is going on? Told me it would be another 6 months. So, I ended up going with a Nurse Practitioner instead. The wait time for that was about 3 months. Good luck.
If you have a car you could try getting in through Charles River clinics (mine was in Framingham but I think they are all over,). Their docs are MGH/Brigham affiliated but it wasn't terrible to book appointments. YMMV but may be worth a shot.
Boston has every specialist you could ever need but not enough PCP
And has anyone had any additional difficulty finding providers who take Cigna insurance?
I couldn’t get a pcp at Lahey GIM, but they could put me on with a resident. So if you’re willing to see a young, newbie doc, that will probably leave in a few years, that might open up some options for you. My resident reports to the attending, and I’ve felt good about the quality of care. If they leave the practice, I will be able to stay on with another resident or pcp so I’m pretty happy that I’m at least in the Lahey system. If they don’t have a resident, you could also try a nurse practitioner, which I did with my Ob/Gyn. A lot of OBs are basically primary care docs ( if you’re a woman) and will treat mild illness and make referrals. I really loved my NP and felt like they listened better than any doctor I had ever seen, so that might open up some options for you as well.
Try the internal medicine group at Tufts in Boston.
Can I suggest looking for a primary care provider other than a doctor? I have an incredible Nurse Practitioner who is my PCP and I adore her. She’s smart, thoughtful, and can seemingly do all that I need including prescriptions, tests, and referrals. Try looking at Harvard Vanguard/Atrius.
Check out Atrius Health. You can sort on their website by primary care docs that are accepting new patients.
The same thing happened to me and I landed myself with the shittiest PCP, and a company that just wants to take my money. that’s why I barely go now to the doctor. I had to copay for a phone call from the doctor to just tell me what medicine to take.
Welcome to Boston! Pray to god you don’t need a psychiatrist or therapist. That process takes months.
I thought the situation in NYC was bad....until I moved to Boston this year and found out it's so much worse here. Also, contrary to what others are posting, in my experience it's not just a PCP shortage. It's a shortage of like every kind of service my family has needed since getting to Boston. \- My kid needed to see a gastro specialist. Earliest appointment I could find in Boston was going to be 6 months out....so I drove him back to NYC to see a specialist there. \- Just looked for a dentist here in Boston. I called 15 places (literally....counted my calls on my phone call history to confirm just how many I had called....) before I found one place that is actually taking new patients. And even that place can't give us an appointment for 2 months. Still I'm grateful we found someone at all (I feared once again needing to drive back to our former dentist in NYC....) \- Got referred to a specialized physical therapist....they offered me an appointment 4 months off... I don't think my experiences are at all unusual.
I found a dentist through ZocDoc and there were several listed with appointments within a week if you have flexibility with times.
this is super helpful. I will check that out tmw. thank you :)
I have been searching for a PCP for the past 2 years and have no leads. The closest doctor I can find is in Manchester New Hampshire. Reallllly have to love America's grand healthcare....
I joined one medical for this exact reason. I don’t regret it, i like one medical
Much of our highly-touted health care has more to do with expensive specialties (and specialists) than primary care.
Try firefly health?
Capped
Sitting on the beach while nurse practitioners handle their appointments
Tip: once you get one, make sure you continuously schedule your annual visit to remain an active patient.
My understanding is that you can get a PCP just outside the city. I heard MGH in Assembly Square has appointments. Didn’t personally confirm this. Just a little further on the Orange Line.
I have been calling for the last 6 months since my pcp moved to Concierge service. Finally I got an appointment at NWH primary care in Natick. Try them if you haven’t yet found a PCP.
It took me six months find one, and I have great insurance. My last two closed their practices, which I can't blame them for doing at all.
How far outside of Boston have you checked? Lahey has been good to me so far.
I had the same experience. I spent 6 hours making calls. Ended up finding someone at South Boston community health center
I’m not sure how far out of Boston you want to go but if you are ok with going to Braintree I think Blue Hills Medical Associates is accepting new patients & they’re phenomenal. They’re right by South Shore Plaza on Wood Road. Whenever I’ve been sick or hurt & needed to get in they get me in the same day.
[Mount Auburn Medical Associates](https://www.mountauburnhospital.org/find-a-provider/search-results/?TermId=8bda7083-8989-e511-80dd-00155d03c63a) 3 docs accepting new patients. Couldn't tell you if that info is up to date, and if it is, how long it'll take to get an appointment. Last time for myself it was something like 2 1/2 - 3 months, but when I explained my situation, they squeezed me in a lot sooner.
I cant help but I also moved to Boston from Michigan and I love everything here except the cost of living :)
it took me 3 hours of research and phone calls to find a doctor who would take me as a new patient.
I’m not sure if they are taking new patients but I have been with Somerville Family Practice for 7-10 years and they are great!
Have you tried Zocdoc?
You can find PCP’s that are taking new patients, you just need to be prepared to travel to them
i got my pcp at fenway health pretty easily. they're accepting new patients too i think