BOSTON (SHNS) – Primary care physicians and the Senate’s health care point person are questioning a proposed partnership between Mass General Brigham and CVS that the two companies say will address gaps in comprehensive primary care access.
“My first reaction was, this is not what we think about when we think about primary care,” Sen. Cindy Friedman, co-chair of the Health Care Financing Committee, told the News Service. “I’m kind of blown away.”
MGB and MinuteClinic’s primary care practice are seeking state regulatory approval for a clinical affiliation that the companies say will help lower health care costs and provide primary care access for those who presently lack it. About 80 advanced practice providers (APPs) currently staff 37 CVS MinuteClinic sites in Massachusetts, according to papers filed with the Health Policy Commission on June 6. The proposal does not involve opening more clinics or hiring more staff, and MGB does not plan to invest funds into the partnership…