Q&A
Waiting list for primary care appointments at H+H
1:28:39
ยท
74 sec
Dr. Katz provides details about the waiting list for new patient appointments in primary care at H+H, highlighting the challenges faced by the safety net healthcare system.
- Approximately 20,000 patients were waiting for new primary care appointments at the start of the discussion
- H+H operates on a triage system, with emergency care available immediately for urgent needs
- The waiting list particularly affects uninsured patients who have limited healthcare options
- Dr. Katz notes that Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in the city also face challenges in recruiting doctors and managing patient loads
Carmen N. De La Rosa
1:28:39
Great.
1:28:40
I'll come back to some of the comments you just made, but I did wanna ask a clarifying question.
1:28:44
You've mentioned several times in as you respond to questions and in your testimony about a waiting list.
1:28:49
Can you shed some light on what that waiting list looks like?
Mitch Katz
1:28:52
We have a waiting list.
1:28:54
Well, be I don't know what it where it is today, but prior at the start of this, we had 20,000 patients waiting for a new patient appointment for a primary care doctor.
1:29:05
Okay.
1:29:05
And and, again, just to distinguish, on one hand, you know, we're a triage system.
1:29:09
If you need something, we'll give you something today, but that's via the emergency room.
1:29:15
Right?
1:29:15
So and anybody who's sick, I mean, we we have, you know, 11 great emergency rooms for people to go to.
1:29:22
But in terms of connecting people to, you know, what J.
1:29:26
Schulman talked about, you know, primary care and why we think that is so important.
1:29:31
We have 20,000 people waiting.
1:29:33
And, again, partially, that's because if you're uninsured, you have very few choices.
Joaquin Morante
1:29:38
Mhmm.
Mitch Katz
1:29:39
There are some wonderful FQHCs in in the city, but they also are having trouble recruiting doctors.
1:29:45
And all of them would require more than 8 appointments in a session.
1:29:49
They have to because they can't make their margin otherwise.