Massachusetts Faces Critical Shortage of Primary Care Physicians, Community Clinics Step In
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A growing scarcity of primary care physicians across Massachusetts is forcing community health centers to expand their reach and fill critical gaps in neighborhood healthcare access.
Massachusetts is grappling with a concerning trend: a dwindling number of doctors specializing in primary care. As Dr. Guy Fish, CEO of Dorchester’s Codman Square Health Center (CSHC), explained, “We don’t have a shortage of doctors; we have a shortage of primary care doctors.” This deficit, he added, is the result of decades of systemic issues within the healthcare industry, where financial incentives favor specialized procedures over preventative and ongoing care focused on overall health.
The Financial Divide Driving the Crisis
The core of the problem, according to healthcare leaders, lies in the economic realities facing young medical professionals. Graduates burdened with significant medical school debt are often compelled to choose between two paths. One option is to pursue a career as a primary care provider, hoping to balance loan repayment with the demands of supporting a family. The other is to specialize in procedural medicine, a field that typically offers higher earning potential.
“Most are choosing the latter,” Fish noted, leading to increasingly long wait times for patients seeking a primary care physician (PCP). The situation is particularly acute in underserved communities, where access to consistent, preventative care is already limited.
Codman Square Health Center: A Model for Access
Community health centers like CSHC are emerging as vital solutions to this growing crisis. A federally funded program offering grants and incentives is proving to be a key tool in attracting new doctors to these centers. Dr. Sara Stulac, a pediatrician and medical director at Codman Square, exemplifies this trend. She is currently accepting new patients, highlighting the center’s commitment to expanding access.
“I see pediatrics as among the most important investments we can make in the health system,” Dr. Stulac stated. “The big money that the health system is spending is on sick, complicated adults, but those people were children once. I also see pediatrics as getting a child into care as a really great entry point for a whole family.” She frequently observes a pattern where parents prioritize their children’s healthcare needs, often seeking care for their children before addressing their own health concerns.
Systemic Issues and the Future of Primary Care
The challenges extend beyond individual financial pressures. Dr. Renee Crichlow, CSHC’s chief medical officer, emphasized that the current fee-for-service payment structure actively disincentivizes primary care. “The payment structure does not support primary care because fee-for-service is not something that is a sustainable way to practice primary care. It’s not a job that can be done fulltime, and it’s not a job that the clinics get compensated well for,” she explained.
However, the benefits of robust primary care are undeniable. “Primary care is the only specialty that, if you increase the number of primary care physicians in a community, it decreases morbidity and mortality,” Dr. Crichlow asserted. “People live longer and they live healthy. Why is that? One of the main reasons is you don’t have to be sick to see us, and if you are sick, we can care for you.”
A Commitment to Quality and Accessibility
Despite the obstacles, Codman Square Health Center remains steadfast in its mission. “We have been trained for six decades to hit a high standard as good or better than any private practice of primary care at the lowest possible cost,” Fish said. “That is what we do. That is why we’re the solution, because we’re delivering high quality at low cost. We do that every day for anyone who walks through the door, whether or not you have no money, some money, or a lot of money, we’re here. That’s what we do.”
To sign up your child as a new pediatric primary care patient, visit codman.org or call 617-822-8271.
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