BOSTON -- A shortage of doctors threatened to put Massachusetts health care system in critical condition.

Since the inception of the state’s health insurance mandate in the summer of 2006, 440,000 new patients have enrolled in an insurance plan. Their addition to an already overcrowded medical system is exacerbating the shortage of primary care conditions statewide.

Shortage Of Primary Care Doctors 'Critical'

The Massachusetts Medical Society’s 2008 annual Physician Workforce Study concluded that the shortage of family medicine and internal medicine specialists has turned dramatically worse over the past three years, and are now critical, the worst among the 12 specialties deemed to have shortages.

Statistics gathered by the Massachusetts Medical Society’s annual survey of working physicians show that 96 percent of community hospitals report difficulty filling doctor vacancies and 42 percent of doctors said they are considering changing professions due to the current environment at work.

Thirty-five percent of physicians are no longer accepting new patients, up steadily since 2006, when 25 percent reported turning people away.

Patients must wait an average of 36 days for an appointment, up slightly from last year’s average of 34 days.

“Some health centers have a wait time of five months, other health centers have a wait time of 1 to 2 days,” said Steven Belec, director of the Mayor’s Health Line at the Boston Public Health Commission. “So we wanted to come in between and start having those health centers talk to each other.”

Last month, right after Labor Day, the Mayor’s Health Line launched a new service, a primary care referral line for people who live in Boston or anywhere in Massachusetts.

So far the number of PCP referrals has been modest. Belec said his team has made progress establishing relationships with community health centers and local hospitals. He now hopes to reach out to doctors in private practice who may be in a position to accept referrals.

“Any primary care provider that is accepting new patients, we would love to hear from them,” said Belec.

“It's really confusing for people. people don't have the time to call around various doctors offices and spend their lunch break just finding who's accepting new patients, if they accept their insurance type and that's where we can come in,” he said.

The Mayor’s Health Line is staffed Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. at 617-534-5050, toll free at toll free 800-847-0710, or online.

The current shortages are not expected to ease any time soon. Belec pointed out that only two percent of outgoing medical students are choosing to go into primary care. Many doctors cite lower reimbursements, lower pay, more work, and the high cost of living in the Boston area as factors in their decision.

The average pay for a specialist tops $400,000 per year, while the average PCP in the Boston area can expect to earn less than half that.