Primary Care Task Force Statutory Deliverable #7: Create Short-Term and Long-Term Workforce Development Plans and Improve Working Conditions

Statutory Deliverable #7:

Create Short-Term and Long-Term Workforce

Development Plans and Improve Working Conditions

Introduction

In January 2025, the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission (HPC) published a special report on primary

care workforce, access, and spending trends, A Dire Diagnosis: The Declining Health of Primary Care in

Massachusetts and the Urgent Need for Action, which called attention to the numerous challenges affecting

the well-being and sustainability of the Commonwealth’s primary care workforce and the impact on providers

and patients. The report cites research demonstrating that primary care physicians experience lower pay

compared to specialist physicians and high levels of administrative burden requiring a substantial amount of

work outside of regular hours. 1,2,3 This dynamic discourages medical students from choosing to go into