Comments on: Primary Care Doctor Shortage

By: Ruth Kaczmarek

Ruth Kaczmarek — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 16:33:35 +0000

How timely! I’m about to call my doctor’s office to find out what blood test(s) he was planning in Mar.; he’s closing his clinical practice in Jan. to become a “hospitalist”, whatever that is. I have three weeks to find another PCP who accepts medicare patients, and I had trouble finding this one.

By: jeff Lash

jeff Lash — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 08:45:02 +0000

Dr Siegel,

I started in primary care, but after 13 years gave it up. I made house calls and practiced in a rural community. Now as a Radiologist I see many unnecessary tests ordered by physicians who lack the time or skill to properly access a patient.
The biggest waste I see now is in offices that have self referral and order many unneeded tests. But I fear the system is too corrupt…

jeff lash

By: mark

mark — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 17:48:15 +0000

I hear the concerns but you all seem to forget there is another group… PAs & NPs. They are trained to do 90%-95% of the same job your primary care doctor is performing and at a lower cost to the system. If this country could just wrap thier minds around other ways of doing things and stop dreaming about the “good ole days” they would be able to see what is already right there in front of them. You don’t need a MD/DO degree to treat a “common cold” or refer to another doctor.

By: Selia

Selia — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 20:15:10 +0000

I’d be lost without my primary care physician. I didn’t have one for years but was referred to this one when I took myself to the ER because of stomach pain. My PCP keeps tabs on everything about me, requests all reports from other medical providers and is very caring. I hope something can be done to improve the percentage of doctors going into primary care practice.

By: Reta Russell Hougton

Reta Russell Hougton — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 19:08:49 +0000

I have to agree with your comment about making medicine more proactive instead of reactive. I think having a doctor that working to keep you healthy now and preventing serious illnesses down the road is the way to go. I wish insurance companies would get this message.

My primary care doctor is very proactive. I was prehypertensive and now with medication, my BP is 100/70. My liver enzymes were high, indicating Fatty Liver disease. With his help and diet/exercise we have gotten over that crisis before there was any long term damage.

The one thing I like the best about my primary care doctor is the fact he is interested in all of me and is keep tabs on all of it. He was one the one that helped me through menopause, not the GYN. The specialists do not look beyond their area, or even recommend you talk to your primary when they find something else. I have all my specialists give me copies of labs, tests and any procedures for my primary’s records on me.

Many doctors going into high paying specialities because of the mountain of debt they are in in just becoming a doctor. Plus, the cost malpractice insurance is insane. We have to find some solutions or we will not have any more primary care doctors and we will really be up the creek then!

By: Liza

Liza — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 16:50:08 +0000

With primary care doctors rapidly becoming extinct, I think it is worth pointing out that if I didn’t exist, this young woman might have been admitted to the hospital for a few days, and possibly faced an unnecessary operation — at the very least it would have been a big expense to our health care system. With only 2 percent of medical school graduating classes going into primary care medicine these days.