That means a tougher time recruiting doctors, and longer lines in doctors' waiting rooms. At Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, for example, the number of primary care doctors has fallen from 51 to 39 since 1997. Dr. Philip S. Volastro, a Pittsfield rheumatologist and internist, and chief of staff at Berkshire Medical Center, told the Springfield Union-News. Some doctors see more patients, filling their schedules six months in advance. Volastro says patients are letting doctors know they aren't happy.
Local physicians say low average salaries are to blame for keeping doctors away from the region.
Rao, a pulmonologist at Valley Pulmonary and Medical Associates in Springfield. Rao has been practicing for 21 years, but says he's still the youngest doctor on staff, an indication of how difficult it has been to bring in new members to the practice. The source of the problem is the decreasing amount insurance companies and government programs reimburse doctors for their services. According to Deloitte Consulting, the average reimbursement for a coronary artery bypass procedure in western Massachusetts dropped by 14 percent from 1997 to 2000. For an eye exam, payment dropped by 4.1 percent, and for an electrocardiogram 3.5 percent.