Survey: Doctor Access Mixed In Mass.

A new survey finds roughly half of the state's primary care practices are closed to new patients and wait times to see a primary care physician remain long.

    The findings are in the Massachusetts Medical Society's annual patient access study released Monday.

    According to the study, 51 percent of family physicians and 45 percent of internists are currently accepting new patients.

    A year ago, the survey found 50 percent of family doctors and 51 percent of internists open to new patients.

    The latest survey found the average wait time for a non-emergency appointment with a primary care doctor to be 39 days for family physicians, an improvement from 44 days last year. But the wait time to see an internist was 50 days, up from 44 days a year ago.  (Associated Press)