Times Tough for Patients Seeking Primary Care Physicians

ZANESVILLE, Ohio — “The population is aging.”

Dr. Scott Wegner, Chief Clinical Officer & President of Genesis Medical Group, says people are having a tougher time finding a primary care physician.

“More health problems, more demand for family doctors and this is happening at the same time that the family physician base is aging and retiring. Fewer physicians are coming out of medical school and training wanting to be a family doctor,” Wegner says.

Some challenges primary care physicians face upon leaving medical school are staggering debt and a greater propensity for malpractice lawsuits. Add to that a hot market for specialists, a profession which often pays more and has fewer hours, and the general practitioners is down.

“You have to be the primary point of contact with a lot of expertise and a lot of areas for people from young age to old age. You have to be there for people all the time and I think it’s just a hard, hard place to be,” Wegner explains.

Genesis has set up a hotline for people in its service area to track down a primary care physician if needed. One Call, as it’s known, can be reached at (740) 455-7500.

Genesis offers family doctors in Zanesville, New Lexington, Crooksville, Junction City, Somerset, New Concord & Dresden.