Nice piece in the Los Angeles Times on how the primary care shortage is affecting affluent areas like Beverly Hills.

Nothing new here, just more stories like Tanyech Walford’s, a 39-year old primary care doctor who owes $80,000 in medical school loans. Her solo practice is actually losing money, “cost[ing] her $40,000 in personal savings and [leaving] her with $15,000 in credit card debt.”

The article focuses on the plight solo and small group practices, which comprises the majority of the country’s primary care delivery. I’ve talked about the difficult of this situation before, which is why many are joining hospitals and larger groups. Expect this consolidation to continue.

More importantly, I think it’s an important step that the primary care shortage is starting to capture mainstream media attention. Recently, national publications like the WSJ, NY Times, and now, the LA Times have publicized the crisis.

The only hope for anything to change in primary care is to dominate the narrative. I’m starting to see that happen.