Having adequate access to primary care is essential to maintaining long-term health, but not everyone has it. Those living in major metropolitan areas, like folks living in and around Washington, D.C., are expected to experience less difficulties when looking for primary care doctors in Rockville, MD, for instance, than someone living in more rural places. It seems that the ordeal is somewhat aggravated if you’re a senior and are signed up for Medicare. Lately, these seniors have been heard speaking up about how it’s become harder to meet with doctors who are part of the program.

Their thoughts on the matter appeared in the latest annual report of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. Overall, the report reflects the fact that finding, in Maryland, long term care through doctors accepting Medicare is not an issue for most seniors. However, it goes on to note that although 75% of Medicare beneficiaries expressed in 2010 that they did not find it difficult to schedule a routine care appointment with their doctors, “a small share of the Medicare population continues to report problems finding a new primary care physician.”

Some doctors have been stepping up to the plate on this issue. Because visiting a hospital practice is only one aspect of health care, patients around the country will be glad to hear that at present, the National Committee for Quality Assurance, a not-for-profit organization that studies health care quality, has counted 2,314 medical homes that are patient-centered.