Mass General Brigham said the capacity for primary care patients is limited on the main campuses of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Mass General Hospital in Boston, but there is availability within the system.
"While capacity for new primary care patients is limited at select practices at Brigham and Women's and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, there is availability in the Mass General Brigham system for new primary care patients," the organization said in a statement shared with Becker's.
The health system said there is primary care availability in practices associated with its community hospitals, in its suburban community physician practices, and with its affiliated practices throughout the region, including One Medical.
Mass General Brigham is offering new patients appointments with advanced practice providers. It said it is also working urgently to increase and expedite access to primary care at its Boston hospitals by hiring more providers and staff, offering primary care appointments to new patients as they become available, and through solutions like virtual urgent care.
The limited capacity for primary care patients at some Mass General Brigham locations comes amid a shortage of primary care physicians to meet demand nationwide. The Association of American Medical Colleges projects a shortage of between 37,800 and 48,000 primary care physicians by 2034.