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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) —The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission recently published a report citing multiple reasons behind the national primary care doctor shortage.
“Patients are having to wait weeks if not months, to get appointments for primary care and that is compromising the quality of care, that’s a problem around the whole country,” State Senator Jason Lewis said in a statement.
The report lists burnouts, overly-high administrative burdens, and low insurance reimbursements compared to specialty care, leading to older retiring doctors having no replacement.
Patients also face problems, such as long wait times extending to weeks at a time.
For almost 10 years, Senator Lewis has been working on the “The Physicians Pathway Act”, which was signed by Gov. Healey back in November. The law makes it easier for internationally trained physicians to be licensed to practice here in Massachusetts.
“[The law] would certainly be a way to help address the workforce shortage,” Senator Lewis said in a statement.
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