One editor’s search for primary care

What I am about to confess is likely to surprise you. It might even make some of you as uncomfortable as it makes me. And it might even seem completely impossible – given that I edit a newspaper for nearly 20,000 health care professionals and I come from a family of physicians.

But the sad truth remains: I haven’t set foot in the office of a primary care doctor since the summer of 2003.

Yes, you read that correctly. It’s been five years. And no, you don’t have to tell me what I already know – that the possible implications for my health are dire.

Before you become too concerned, I should tell you that I have been to other health care professionals in the course of that time. I have had regular skin checks with my dermatologist, consistent visits to my dentist and of course multiple visits to my OB/GYN throughout my pregnancy. My blood pressure has been checked, my teeth cleaned and my heart rate monitored.

However, I couldn’t begin to guess my HDL/LDL ratio, whether I have high triglycerides or problems with a host of other things that people should have evaluated regularly.

So in May, knowing that even a big problem can usually be solved, I finally set out to find a primary care physician.

At the time, I thought my delinquency in taking care of myself was due to the pressure of work and being a new parent. But sadly, it didn’t take long for me to see firsthand what I have been hearing for months – that a major shortage in primary care is the real crisis at hand.

I started my doctor search by calling practices recommended by my friends. Each one told me that no doctors in their practice were accepting new patients.

Time after time, I was turned away from doctors’ offices like someone who forgot to call for a trendy dinner reservation until Saturday afternoon.

“We closed our books to new patients two months ago,” one office told me. “Some offices we know closed much longer ago than that,” she said. Was I too late to board the train?

Finally, one receptionist suggested I try the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Physician Referral Line.

The person on the other end of the line was kind and patient. She listened to all of my concerns, my list of nearby towns that would be relatively easy for me to get to, and a description of the sort of physician I was seeking.

When she told me there were only three physicians matching my request, I nearly fell off my chair.

“Only three in the entire network?” I asked. “Really?” I was shocked.

Lucky for me that call ended with a doctor appointment in mid-July.

But doesn’t it seem crazy to feel “lucky” to find a doctor? If someone who has multiple connections to the medical community can’t easily find a physician, what about people with substantially less access?

My own search made it abundantly clear to me that we have a real problem on our hands. Regardless of any universal insurance mandates, how can we expect the citizens of this Commonwealth to stay healthy if they can’t find a doctor?

– Reni Gertner, MPH