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.
Related posts:
- How to survive in primary care
- My take: Primary care, treating lawyers, bitter at doctors
- Primary care practices can’t survive on their own
- Colonoscopy by primary care doctors, is it time to start joining the proceduralists?
- Medical students avoiding primary care, is it more than money?
- Health reform ignores primary care doctors at its own peril
- Can primary care doctors actually increase health care costs?
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what kind of things make you go from +360k to -40k?
and dang, if primary docs are making 360k that’s pretty good.
360,000 was her gross, not her take home pay.
Take home pay is usually 40% of gross for primary care, which is approximately 150,000.
Concierge/Retainer model? Why not in Beverly Hills?
She is probably unable to convert to a concierge model because she is too in debt.
Believe it or not, some docs have a commitment to helping people that can’t afford a concierge model and there are people like that all over, even Beverly Hills.
She’s not doing any of her patients any good by going bankrupt and moving out of state.
Some type of cash only model (there are several varieties of which concierge is only one) would’ve at least given some of her patients the opportunity to continue to see her.
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