I received another thin envelope from a medical group in the mail this afternoon. This is the fifth letter I've received this year from a Pres group, Cancer Center, and my family doctor. I knew immediately what it was about, the introductions are always the same: "To my patients at..." followed by the medical group name or practice. Then they drop the bombshell in the next paragraph: "I am writing this letter to inform you that I am leaving my practice at..." again followed by the medical group name or practice. Every time I read "I'm writing this letter..." it reminds me of the introductions in my grandfather's letters from "Somewhere in France" in 1918 where he began each letter "Dear Mother, I am going to write you..." 

The letters from the doctors usually go on to tell you what other doctor might see you in place of the doctor who is leaving; however, in some cases they leave you hanging. It's like a nice way of saying, without saying anything, that you're SOL! — there seems to be a smirky "LOL!" between the lines, as well.

In the case of my family doctor, who retired earlier this year, after the standard introduction and the part about retiring, he suggested we go by his office an pick up your charts, and ended with a good luck finding another doctor. Good luck is right — physicians who are family practitioners don't seem to exist anymore.  

The letter from the primary care doc I had at the Canter Center last July basically said "¡Hasta la vista! Baby. I won't be back!"  With no verbiage about a replacement. I learned from my oncologist that the primary care doc moved to Montana. To my knowledge the Cancer Center still has not replaced him.

As another doc bites the dust in New Mexico, I'm feeling quite isolated from getting basic, primary care, and no one to turn to, outside of my oncologist, to ask for specialized care.