Codman Square Health Center takes on shortage of primary care doctors; some see pediatrics as key investment option

With Massachusetts facing a critical shortage of primary care providers, community health facilities like Dorchester’s Codman Square Health Center (CSHC) are trying to fill in the gaps in the neighborhood.

“We don’t have a shortage of doctors; we have a shortage of primary care doctors,” said Dr. Guy Fish, the CEO of CSHC. “And that has been decades and decades in the making, largely because of our healthcare industry and the reimbursement rates being based on procedures as opposed to the things that we really care about, which is how healthy our individuals are.”

According to Fish, young medical professionals are often presented with two choices: Pay off medical school debt and hope to have enough money to buy a home and support a family as a primary care provider, or become a procedural specialist.

Most are choosing the latter, which has led to a long wait list for of patients looking to secure a primary care physician (PCP). A federally funded program that offers grants and other incentives to young PCPs grants is one lure for new doctors to consider signing on to practice at community health centers like Codman Square’s.

Dr. Sara Stulac, a pediatrican at Codman Square, is a one example. Now the medical director of the practice at the center, she is currently enrolling new patients.

“I see pediatrics as among the most important investments we can make in the health system,” she said in an interview. “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 added, “I’ve noticed often how parents will prioritize their children’s health care above their own. It’s very frequent for me to find a new patient, a child, get to know the family, and just check in with the family.”

Codman also has other PCPs who are open to taking on new patients, a position that Dr. Renee Crichlow, the chief medical officer at CSHC, says can be a challenge for doctors in the region right now.

“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,” said Crichlow.

“Primary care is the only specialty that, if you increase the number of primary care physicians in a community, it decreases morbidity and mortality,” explained Crichlow. “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.”

Fish says that Codman is committed to maintaining a high level of service despite the challenges.

“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,” he 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.”

A new primary care patient younger than 18 at Codman Square Health Center can get an appointment within a couple of weeks. Click here to set something up or call 617-822-8271.

No Byline Policy

Editorial Guidelines

Corrections Policy

Source