Access to care in Mass. improves, but many docs still don't accept new patients

The survey by the Massachusetts Medical Society says access to primary care is slowly improving, but that it can still take a month or longer to get an appointment. In addition, only about half of internal and family medicine practices are accepting new patients.

WBUR: Latest Report On Access To Mass. Doctors: Mostly Stable Condition
The latest report on access to medical care in Massachusetts is looking just about half-full -- or half-empty, depending on your disposition. The good news is, the waiting times to see Massachusetts doctors are not generally getting worse, and some even slightly improved. The bad news is, it can still take a month or more to get an appointment -- and only about half of primary care doctors are taking new patients. Half of residents surveyed say affordability is the biggest issue in health care (8/8).

Boston Globe: Medical Society Report: Access To Primary Care Improved Slightly in 2012, But Varied By County
Access to primary care physicians is only slightly better this year than in 2011, according to an annual survey released Wednesday by the Massachusetts Medical Society. The group found that 49 percent of internal medicine practices and 50 percent of family medicine practices were closed to new patients, a slight improvement from 2011 (Conaboy, 8/8)

Modern Healthcare: Mass. Primary-Care Access Improving: Report
Access to primary care in Massachusetts is improving, albeit slowly, according to an annual study released by the state's medical society. Fifty-one percent of the state's internists and 50 percent of family physicians are accepting new patients, up from 49 percent and 47 percent in 2011, according to the report, which relied on survey data from more than 800 physician offices (McKinney, 8/8).