Primary Care: Why is There a Shortage?
Primary care physicians are essential to any healthcare system, including MarinHealth. They provide crucial services, such as preventive care and diagnoses, and manage acute and chronic diseases. They serve an indispensable role that includes essential factors beyond a patient’s physical health, such as mental, emotional, and social needs, serving as the entry point and as the continuing focal point for all needed healthcare services.
Primary Care Demand is Up. The Number of Primary Care Physicians is Down.
Primary care needs are more significant than ever, especially as the population ages. By 2035, there will be more seniors aged 65 or older than children aged 17 or younger—the first time the demographic imbalance has occurred in the nation’s history. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 6 in 10 adults have one or more chronic conditions such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, lung disease, or Alzheimer’s, all of which must be treated and managed by physicians.
Despite the increased demand, there are fewer primary care doctors. In 2021, an estimated 117,000 primary care physicians in the U.S. left the workforce. This equates to an estimated national shortage of between 17,800 and 48,000 predicted by 2034. California alone has a shortage of 4,700 physicians today, and is expected to have an additional 4,100 deficit by 2030.
How is MarinHealth Addressing the Primary Care Shortage?
There’s no simple answer to fixing this nationwide problem. Instead, a robust and innovative multipronged approach is required.
Despite the government’s mandate to dictate the salaries and compensation for physicians, MarinHealth has remained competitive by offering incentives such as student loan forgiveness and relocation expenses when recruiting primary care physicians. In addition, MarinHealth has bolstered support for its physicians to include mentoring programs, a wellness program, and a host of services that allow physicians to find a better work-life balance.
The good news is that these efforts are paying off. Over the past 12 months, MarinHealth has brought in several primary care providers and has several more scheduled to start in 2025. That said, there is still a lot of hard work in the short and long term.
Care With a Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant
To combat the shortage of primary care physicians, many healthcare organizations, including MarinHealth, have extended care teams to include advanced practice providers, including nurse practitioners, advanced registered nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. These providers can see patients face-to-face to help with timely patient access for appointments and conduct routine work, like paperwork, triaging, and prescribing medications, freeing up physicians to focus on more complex patient needs.
If you are seeking a primary care physician and the wait time is too long, consider seeing a Physician Assistant or Nurse Practitioner. They can extend a care plan with oversight of a supervising physician, and they can diagnose and treat acute conditions, order diagnostic tests like X-rays or lab work, write prescriptions, and provide education, follow-up, and timelier access to care.
To find a doctor or an advanced practice provider, call 1-888-627-4642.
Urgent Care
MarinHealth’s Urgent Care is always available. Our clinical team treats most illnesses and injuries unless you are suffering a life-threatening condition. If you need to be referred to a specialist, a medication refill, or need treatment for allergies, cold, flu, sore throat, upset stomach, urinary tract infections, fever (less than 105 degrees), cuts, rashes or burns, or insect bites, consider Urgent Care. We offer two convenient locations in the North Bay:
MarinHealth Urgent Care | A UCSF Health Clinic
335 South McDowell Boulevard
Petaluma, CA 94954
Phone: 1-707-293-1110
Hours: Saturday, 9 am – 5 pm
MarinHealth Urgent Care | A UCSF Health Clinic
4000 Civic Center Drive, Suite 206
San Rafael, CA 94903
Phone: 1-415-925-8865
Hours: Monday – Friday, 10 am – 8 pm
Saturday & Sunday, 9 am – 5 pm
If you are experiencing a life-threatening condition, call 911 or go to our Emergency Department.
