PCP recommendation in Cambridge/ Boston (or nearby cities)

Submitted by georgporg t3_11chwoc in boston

I haven’t had luck in getting a PCP for months now. They’re all either extremely fully booked & not taking new appointments temporarily or not taking in new patients completely. It’s crazy.

Does any one have recommendations? I can go as far as Newton, Watertown, Waltham, Belmont, Arlington.

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riski_click t1_ja39ceo wrote

Angel Dust has been hard to source in this area for a few years now..

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es_price t1_ja7oz69 wrote

Angel Dust. Prime 1980s Day Time Movie topic

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Common_Screen9450 t1_ja35e3a wrote

I recommend calling Harvard Vanguard / Atrius Health. Large network with plenty of PCPs taking new patients.

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mayank312 t1_ja3govm wrote

Both my wife and i have had good experience with Atrius health. I found my pcp there in November last year with my first annual physical checkup scheduled for March. But what i personally didn’t know was that while the physical appointment wasn’t available for months, if i needed a sick appointment that was available for the next business day once i had registered with them.

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TropicalWaterfall t1_ja40avi wrote

Yes this. Dr. Callahan at the Atrius Health in Medford is wonderful. She actually listens to you and gives her full attention. See if she is accepting new patients.

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georgporg OP t1_ja44wmt wrote

Perfect. They were next on my list to call. Hopefully i get lucky!

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heckin_cool t1_ja3l9w1 wrote

Seconded. Their wait time for new patient appointments is very short and service is good.

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ashhole613 t1_ja3zc65 wrote

Yup, I've moved my primary and all specialty docs to Atrius except for my dermatologist (purely because they had zero taking new patients last year for my alopecia)

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Logical_Act_4396 t1_ja4beaw wrote

I want to like HV / Atrius but have had such atrocious service. Every time I go in, the wrong test is ordered, or they submit the order with my name misspelled, or they forget to schedule a follow-up appointment, or they give me the wrong paperwork… I can’t trust them for any of the little things and that makes it hard to trust them for the big things

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georgporg OP t1_ja4lf2s wrote

So sorry to hear. Which location did you go to?

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Logical_Act_4396 t1_ja54lam wrote

It’s been systemic for me, across my PCP, endocrinologist, geneticist, the labs, etc (most in different locations). But seems like others have had a better experience than me so maybe I’ve had bad luck

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tittyj t1_ja3ixqj wrote

Agreed! I was able to get an appointment with them pretty easily and have had a great experience so far, lots of locations too

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wintersicyblast t1_ja690f9 wrote

My PCP is also out of Atrius health/Harvard Vanguard. Wellesley center

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littlebutcute t1_ja34b9j wrote

I found success finding a doctor on my health insurances website. You can filter by who is accepting new patients

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boreas907 t1_ja374q6 wrote

Caveat: a lot of the ones marked "accepting new patients" may not actually be. But it certainly helps you narrow down.

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georgporg OP t1_ja44u0v wrote

This was the first thing I did. I’ve been going thru the doctor on there but no luck yet.

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Electrical_Bed_ t1_ja3kn0y wrote

Hey! In this area it’s entirely possible that good PCPs are booking new patients visits 6+ months out, because new patient appointments are usually a much longer time slot than established patients or symptom visits.

I’d just suck it up and make an appointment for much further down the line. Or you could book new patient visits with more than one doctor and cancel the one you don’t need. In general it’s much harder to find a good PCP because they are not compensated as well as specialists and have to do much much more paperwork.

Good luck!

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fasteddiecoyle t1_ja4oj39 wrote

Nope. Called 3 hospitals and all said, “we’re not accepting new primary patients”. Not like, there’s a waiting list, not like, we can’t book you for a year. It was, nope. Move along little boy

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Electrical_Bed_ t1_ja4s5x4 wrote

I have had good experiences at the Phylis Jen Center for Primary Care at the Brigham. It’s a group practice and many of the PCPs there are accepting new patients according to their website. Then if you end up w someone you like you have access to the whole MGH/BWH system

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BosBoater t1_ja3p272 wrote

I’m a pcp in Brookline. We are a private group and take most insurances. We have appointments within a week usually. We have three MDs, two PAs, and an NP. Feel free to DM me and I can give you more information.

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rawr972 t1_ja59a5g wrote

Would like to send you a message too!

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gooserider t1_ja4kc8g wrote

I hit this wall too. Ended up paying for OneMedical, https://www.onemedical.com/

Totally worth it. Got an appointment within a week.

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Himekat t1_ja4zgsk wrote

I’ve been using OneMedical for a few years and love them. Perfect for normal PCP stuff and blood work, and they really do go the extra mile for you. The online booking system/video call appointments/messaging/easy prescription refills are amazing, too.

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dothesehidemythunder t1_ja6qypl wrote

Huge fan of One Med. I have them through my employer and have never waited more than a few days.

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Graywulff t1_ja36dcd wrote

My auburn hospital is overlooked. It’s a nice facility. The big hospitals are all backed up.

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silkyjesus t1_ja3v7o1 wrote

(CHA) Cambridge Health Alliance. I was a fan of the Windsor location.

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EnvironmentOk3359 t1_ja49wae wrote

Second this. CHA has great primary care and does an excellent job of integrating care with specialties. I like the family health location in north Cambridge past porter sq but have had good experiences with other CHA locations, too.

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j_allosaurus t1_ja4t7u5 wrote

CHA’s primary care has been really overstressed lately. My partner and I haven’t been able to get appointments to see our existing providers any sooner than 6-8 weeks out, and I imagine it would be way worse for new patients.

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georgporg OP t1_ja4trdr wrote

This has been my experience with them. I tried calling back in November and they said they were booked till Mar and weren’t taking in anymore appointments. They asked me to call every week to see if there was an opening or if they’d open up past Mar. I tried for a good 2 weeks then gave up. Pretty rough…

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j_allosaurus t1_ja4wk9n wrote

Yeah, it sucks. They shut down one location and are really struggling to keep primary care doctors on. I had a pulmonary embolism diagnosed in the CHA ED. The doctor there released me with a week’s prescription for medication and said that I needed to see my primary care doc immediately to get a treatment plan and the right medication. I called CHA (where I was already a patient) and the front desk receptionists were like “sorry, how about in a month?” When I explained the situation, they were like “what do you want us to do about it?” I had to raise a huge stink just so I could talk to a nurse so I wasn’t being triaged by a receptionist and then an even bigger stink so I could be seen within a week and get the prescription and referrals I needed. I was a big fan of CHA’s primary care before the pandemic, but they are struggling right now in a way that means I cannot recommend them.

When I was looking for new doctors, Mt Auburn Primary Care said they could get me in that week if I didn’t mind being seen by a younger doctor (maybe a resident?) and didn’t mind that the doctors would rotate. That might be an option for you if you’re not set on having one specific doctor?

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yacht_boy t1_ja4rwzh wrote

Another vote for one medical. $200/year but everything about it is awesome. I have no regrets about the fee I pay them.

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georgporg OP t1_ja4te8s wrote

I checked it out. How does it work? Is it just a platform wherein link you with doctors?

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Himekat t1_ja4zpsa wrote

No, they are actual clinics/offices with doctors and NPs. There are several locations in the Boston area, and once you’re a member, you make an appointment with whatever provider you’d like. I’ve been going to OneMedical for years, and the $200/year is well worth it for all the benefits you get.

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Green009E60 t1_ja54xoa wrote

Don't forget to try a resident (doctor in training) clinic associated with BIDMC / BU / Etc. Often residents will have quick bookings and all appointments are precepted by an attending, so if there is a worry you have an attending doctor involved.

(IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT THE MORE PEOPLE YOU HAVE INVOLVED IN YOUR CARE THE BETTER THE CARE IS!) SO DON'T THINK YOU'RE GETTING BAD CARE FROM SOME MED STUDENTS!!

I called BIDMC and they told me their attendings were booking out 1.5 years (!!!) for new pts, but in the resident clinic, I got an appointment in 2 weeks! Now you might have turnover as residents graduate (Int Med and FamMed are 3-year residencies) but my PCP was hired as an attending!

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blue_orchard t1_ja395d0 wrote

Dr. Rachel Haft and Dr. Nancy Akbari are both excellent, as is their nurse practitioner. Affiliated with Mount Auburn Hospital and have an office on the Cambridge/Watertown border.

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Thatroninguy t1_ja3m8q1 wrote

Try Dr. Ankur Patel down near Dorchester! He’s great and had same-week booking.

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magavte_lanata t1_ja337j5 wrote

Fenway health can probably get you seen within a month.

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PapayaJuice t1_ja3nx4w wrote

My partner tried to get in last week and they have a 3-4 waiting period right now for new patients. And that’s if you’re willing to just accept whichever pcp becomes free first. I’ve been a patient of theirs for many years and even I can’t usually get on the phone with any doctor without a few days to a couple weeks of waiting. They’re going through brutal staff losses and their recent switch to Epic, although good in the long term, has hurt them considerably in the short term.

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magavte_lanata t1_ja4etva wrote

Hub, that's unfortunate. They used to be good for GPs specifically, but I had intake with them over a year ago.

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PapayaJuice t1_ja4ivks wrote

I agree! I’ve historically had great experiences with them, just been an extremely tough year for providers it seems.

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krissym99 t1_ja3bjjs wrote

I finally found a nurse practitioner to use as my PCP at Wellesley Family Care Associates which is actually in Needham. It's not really conveniently located for me, but I was able to get an appointment within a few months for a LONG overdue physical. The nurse practitioner was very good and thorough. You could give them a shot if it's not too far for you.

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PersisPlain t1_ja4r78d wrote

I found mine on Zocdoc last year and was able to get an appointment within 2 weeks.

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cayenne0 t1_ja3wbxt wrote

Use your health insurance website - filter by distance from your location. Google the doctor's name to find reviews. Call the office of your top few and ask if they have availability. If you just need a prescription refilled you can often get sooner appointments with the Physician Assistant from the same office, with an actual physical appointment scheduled further out.

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cannabis_growers t1_ja4ab3h wrote

Firefly is an online healthcare platform, their providers are based in Waltham. Partner and I both use the service, it’s great. You get assigned a healthcare team and you can manage referrals in the app

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LadyGreyIcedTea t1_ja4btw8 wrote

When I lived in Brighton, I went to Brigham and Women's at Newton Corner and had a good experience there.

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Practical-Basil-1353 t1_ja4ogjh wrote

Look at Mt. Auburn Healthcare in Waltham. I think they usually have availability.

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georgporg OP t1_ja4t2m9 wrote

This leads me to Beth Israel Lahey Health Primary Care, and the reviews are quite horrible. Is this the right place?

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CranberryNub t1_ja5h6fs wrote

Go to the one in Belmont. It's a good hospital system, but you need to pick your PCP office more closely

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dan420 t1_ja59mn0 wrote

Do t smoke pcp.

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emnormand416 t1_ja5d0qk wrote

You could try Cambridge Medical Associates 625 Mt Auburn street Cambridge. It will take you a while to get an initial appointment anywhere because they are longer and book out months even if you are an existing patient. Good luck!

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HP-DocLady t1_ja5hh4f wrote

East Boston neighborhood health center is great and if you are lucky you might get same week but more likely within a month

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Jusmon1108 t1_ja5y1lc wrote

I haven’t seen PCP in this area for years! Tons of meth in New Hampshire though.

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avsavsavs t1_ja5yw0c wrote

cambridge health alliance, east cambridge office

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hanesydd2006 t1_ja629mk wrote

I've had good experiences at Healthcare Associates at BI. If you're willing to see one of their residents, I think you'll get in faster.

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Lainey113 t1_ja650zn wrote

BWH @ Newton Corner has GREAT docs!! Easy to see them, free parking onsite, AND it's a BWH so if you need specialists ... You have them

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