A new report on New York’s healthcare workforce says the state still doesn’t have enough primary care providers, especially in upstate regions, leaving millions of residents with fewer options for routine care and longer waits for appointments.
The report, from the University at Albany’s Center for Health Workforce Studies, finds persistent gaps in primary care across much of New York. Program manager Nafin Harun said nearly 5 million people live in federally designated primary care shortage areas.
“We need just above 1,000 providers to close those shortages,” Harun said, adding that figure is a floor, not a ceiling, for what’s needed.
For patients like Justine Morris, the impact is personal. Morris said not having a primary care provider allowed a misdiagnosis to linger.
“I didn’t know I had cancer for the last seven months. I just found out they didn’t send me the correct report,” Morris said.
She eventually followed up with her medical office and learned the truth. She said she understands how the system failed her.
“It’s not the fault of the doctors. They’re under so much stress, and they have so many patients that sometimes things do slip through the cracks,” she said.
Morris is now in remission and has a primary care physician whom she credits with coordinating her care.
“I have an amazing doctor team. I think I have like 13 different doctors, surgeons, oncologists, cardiologists, neurologists,” she said.
The workforce report says burnout and demographics are adding to the problem. Senior program manager Dr. Robert Martiniano pointed to retirements and difficulty replacing experienced physicians.
“Retirement is an issue. Physicians are getting older, and they’re retiring, and we’re not able to replace them,” Martiniano said.
Primary care doctors say they see the strain firsthand, both in their schedules and in how people use the health system.
“I really had difficult caretaking and a tough time with patients in my prior practices, taking the time with them, getting to know them, making sure that they were educated on their diagnosis,” said Dr. Marissa Fusella, a family physician who previously worked in a larger system.
Fusella said the pressures she saw pushed her to start her own practice, hoping to address patients’ needs more directly.
“It allowed me to be accessible to patients, take my time with them, educate them, really talk about diet, exercise, nutrition, and not just medications and diagnosis,” she said.
Fusella said she believes more physicians may look at independent or smaller practice models as a way to spend more time with patients and focus on preventive care.
State health officials say they are working on long‑term solutions, including expanding training programs and trying to recruit more providers to underserved areas, but the report suggests patients and providers will be navigating shortages for some time.