Number of Primary Care Providers Continues to Grow
According to the American Hospital Association, experts predict the U.S. will be short as many as 48,000 primary care physicians by 2034.
Communities around the country are already feeling the pinch. A Kaiser Family Foundation report last year noted that 83.7 million Americans live in areas designated as primary-care Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Thompson Health, however, is bucking the trend, with 13 new primary care providers hired since the beginning of the year, and many accepting new patients.
“We have been working hard on recruitment and are extremely fortunate to be welcoming so many talented, exceptional individuals to our medical staff,” said Executive Vice President/COO Kurt Koczent.
The new providers include family physicians, general internists, pediatricians, and OB-GYN practitioners. They hail from all over the country and their reasons for choosing to settle in the Finger Lakes region vary. For many, however, it’s the community feel.
Thompson Health Director of Practice Management Catherine Shannon noted Thompson is not done welcoming new primary care providers. One more is coming on board in mid-January.
The success seen throughout 2022 and into 2023 follows a wave of retirements within Thompson’s practices. Although the health system’s primary care network is in great shape, Kurt said Thompson is always looking ahead, anticipating future needs, and devising strategies to recruit even more primary care providers.
For example, this past August, the hospital began hosting Internal Medicine residents and medical students from the University of Rochester Medical Center for part of their training. This is hoped to result in future hires.
Kurt noted a strong primary care network is essential to a health system like Thompson because the providers refer their patients for lab work, screenings, and surgeries. In addition, he said, access to primary care providers is considered critical to improving the health of a community and reducing overall healthcare costs.
“Knowing our community members can get the care they need is incredibly important to us,” he said.
Melissa DeSain can attest to the importance of having a primary care provider.
The Honeoye Falls resident, who has multiple sclerosis, had hoped her previous doctor would have been more in tune with her unique needs. She switched to another doctor but that doctor then left the area. Earlier this year, Melissa became a patient of one of Thompson’s new family physicians, Dr. Kate Skipton at Canandaigua Family Practice.
“I really felt like Dr. Skipton was listening to me and understood my medical conditions and my need to be heard. That is the most important piece for me with a doctor,” Melissa said. “I do not want to feel like a number. I do not want to be dismissed. I want to feel confident that my doctor understands me and my medical needs.”
According to Kurt, a comprehensive approach is actually something ingrained in each of Thompson’s 13 primary care practices. It’s part of what it means to be designated by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as a Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH).
In a PCMH, a primary care provider leads a team that partners closely with a patient throughout life. Nurses, nutritionists, pharmacists, specialists, and other professionals are involved when appropriate.
Dr. Michael Foote of Honeoye Family Practice is Thompson’s longtime Medical Director of Family Practices. He pointed out that even though the vast majority of patients have no idea what a PCMH is, a practice adhering to the model means the bar has been set very high and there are a great deal of nuances involved. These include things like routine screenings for depression, substance misuse, risks of falling, and more.
Instead of approaching care as the sum of episodic office visits, a PCMH looks at the whole spectrum of care and also ensures its team identifies those patients – with chronic conditions, for example – who need extra attention and then adheres to evidence-based guidelines for their care.
“As part of a PCMH we take a more proactive role with the treatment plan.” Dr. Foote said. “We work with the patient to establish goals and follow up.”
Thompson’s newest primary care location, Geneva Crossing Family Practice, achieved PCMH status in January of 2022. This fall, all of Thompson’s primary care locations were reaccredited by the NCQA.
“Between our new providers and our adherence to the high standards of the PCMH model, we are ensuring our patients will receive quality care for many years to come,” Kurt said. “This will impact many lives in positive ways, and that’s what it’s all about.”
To see a list of Thompson providers currently accepting new patients, visit www.ThompsonHealth.com/FindADoctor and click on the printable list at the top of the screen.