Coastal Medical Inc. Chief Medical Officer Dr. Edward McGookin was promoted to president of Coastal Medical in late October 2022. McGookin, who spent 24 years with Coastal Medical, succeeded Dr. G. Alan Kurose, who transitioned to full time in his role as senior vice president for primary care and population health at Lifespan Corp. McGookin discusses his new role, the shortage of primary care doctors and the future of primary care.
PBN: What are your top priorities for your first year as president of Coastal Medical?
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MCGOOKIN: The pandemic hit every sector of the economy hard. Health care was particularly hard-hit, and we expect an extended recovery. The priority is to bring relief and support to health care workers and clinicians.
Coastal has a strong and resilient workforce, and we need them at their best to succeed in our mission of service to patients. We must redesign the health care delivery model to retain existing patients in the face of a high volume of primary care physician retirements.
Finally, we must promote population health management programs in the Lifespan system. Coastal has a track record of developing innovations in care delivery to meet marketplace challenges. We will address the current challenges with the same commitment to patient service and draw on the immense capabilities of our talented and dedicated clinicians and staff.
PBN: You have been with Coastal for over two decades. How has the company grown over the years, and how do you envision it growing in the future?
MCGOOKIN: Coastal started as a group of primary care physicians and became a leader in value-based care and population health management. I began my career at Coastal Medical as a general pediatrician and am passionate about building and refining health care delivery systems to ensure the best health and health care experience for patients, their families and our community.
The future of primary care depends on our ability to expand the depth and breadth of population health management. As part of the Lifespan system, Coastal can bring population health management to more patients more quickly and better serve Rhode Islanders’ health care needs.
PBN: We have been hearing a lot about a dangerous shortage of primary care doctors in Rhode Island and nationwide. How serious is this shortage? How is it affecting Rhode Islanders?
MCGOOKIN: There is a physician shortage nationally, particularly in primary care medicine, because fewer medical students choose to become primary care physicians. This is not surprising, given that the compensation is low compared to other disciplines while medical education costs are increasing.
A career in primary care medicine is unaffordable for many aspiring physicians. Due to stress and burnout, there has been a wave of early retirements and departures from the field. We must create a more efficient system that makes the most of our health care talent. We need policy changes such as loan forgiveness and increased federal support to cover the cost of training residents after they graduate medical school.
Finally, we need to close the gap between Massachusetts and Connecticut payment rates that make it difficult for Rhode Island to compete for qualified clinicians who want to work here.
PBN: What can be done to recruit and retain more primary care workers?
MCGOOKIN: Creating a talent pipeline is vital. Lifespan has a workforce development program that provides free training to become certified in high-demand medical professions, including medical assistants, mental health workers, nursing assistants and pharmacy technicians. This program is available to current employees looking for career advancement and nonemployees looking to enter the health care field. Lifespan provides wrap-around support for the trainees, including case management services, day care subsidies, transportation services and more.
For physicians, Coastal includes support to help them practice at the top of their licenses, such as dedicated medical assistants, pharmacists, centralized clinical and administrative programs, ancillary and after-hours services, and clinician mentoring.
PBN: Primary care has changed over the last two years, especially with the adoption of telemedicine. What’s the future of primary care?
MCGOOKIN: Primary care must compete effectively for the opportunity to serve patients. To do so, we must change our delivery model to prioritize convenience for the patients who need limited services and respond proactively to those whose needs increase with the complexity of their conditions. Expanding same-day access and optimizing technology to provide more telemedicine will better serve patients who prioritize convenience. Lifespan and Coastal Medical have the experience and the skills necessary to lead this transformation.
Coastal will continue to innovate based on our commitment to serving patients. You will also likely see the use of remote monitoring to stay in touch with patients between visits – this is something Coastal is currently using with great success. The focus will be, and should always be, on ensuring patients receive care when, where and how they want it to deliver the best possible patient experience and health outcomes. We are all patients, or will be one day.
Claudia Chiappa is a PBN staff writer. You may contact her at Chiappa@PBN.com.
