A shortage of primary care doctors isn’t a problem unique to Connecticut.
More than half of all primary care physicians in Massachusetts are no longer accepting new patients, and the average waiting time to see specialists is lengthening, according to a new survey taken in the Bay State, The Associated Press reports.
The telephone survey by the Massachusetts Medical Society of 838 Massachusetts doctors conducted in February and March found that 51 percent of internists are not accepting new patients, up from 49 percent the previous year. Fifty-three percent of family physicians, the other major group of primary care doctors, were also not taking new patients.
Even for patients fortunate enough to have a primary care doctor, waits for appointments continued to be lengthy. The average wait for an appointment with an internist was 48 days, which was five days shorter than last year, but the average wait for family medicine was 36 days, a week longer than in the 2010 survey.
Last year, the Connecticut State Medical society released a similar survey warning of a major shortage of primary care physicians in Connecticut that, if not addressed soon, will lead to longer waiting periods for patients or a lack of access to doctors for the newly insured.
According to the Connecticut survey, which polled 498 doctors, 28 percent of internists and 26 percent of family physicians said they already are not accepting new patients.
Additionally, new patients have to wait an average of 18 days for a routine office visit, while existing patients have to wait 16 days to see a pediatrician or 15 days for an internist.
