Low pay, too much paperwork among drivers of primary care physician shortage
It’s increasingly hard for patients to find a new primary care physician (PCP)—even in Massachusetts, which has more PCPs per 100,000 people than any other state, according to Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Jose Figueroa. He was interviewed about the PCP shortage on the Nov. 5 episode of WBZ News Radio’s NightSide with Dan Rea.
Figueroa noted that PCPs are generally older than other clinicians and that not enough new doctors are in the pipeline to replace them. In 2025, only 18% of graduating medical students said they would choose primary care. Instead, they are turning to specialties such as oncology, gastroenterology, and anesthesiology, which are considered more prestigious and pay two to three times more than primary care.
Being a PCP also requires a much broader scope of knowledge to oversee the care of patients who are increasingly older and sicker and may be seeing multiple specialists for various conditions, Figueroa said. The job also comes with a heavy paperwork burden including insurance company prior authorization forms, and doctors may feel that electronic medical records systems create more work instead of saving time.
These factors are leading to burnout and PCPs reducing their hours—by 25% in Massachusetts, Figueroa said.
He noted that loan forgiveness programs for medical school graduates, who may carry debts in the hundreds of thousands, may help entice more doctors into primary care. Paying PCPs more would probably be even more effective, he said.
Listen to NightSide with Dan Rea interview: Help! I Need a PCP!
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Why finding a primary care provider can be so tough (Harvard Chan School news)
