Patients raise concerns over Baystate Mercy transition

Good evening and thanks for joining us for 22 News at 6, I'm Ciara Speller and I'm Claire Overton. The merger between Bay State Health and Mercy Medical Center is complete, but patients say the transition has been anything but smooth. Several viewers have reached out to 22 news over the past week with their concerns. Medical records and longer wait times and we spoke today with a Springfield woman about what it took for her mother to get access to medication. Where can we go as a patient if we ever need help if we're just being completely turned away? At the beginning of November, Bay State Health held a celebration ceremony for the renaming of Mercy Medical Center into Bay State Mercy Hospital. But for many patients, the transition has been anything but a celebration. We received a letter stating that no matter what, the transition is going to be smooth and that they will attend every patient. And come to find out, once my mom's primary care doctor ended up leaving, her appointment got canceled. Emily Maldonado says her mother takes blood pressure medications. And with her doctor leaving during the transition, she turned to Baystate Health, the new provider, to seek care. I ended up calling to try to reschedule it with like a PA. And at least I got her blood pressure medicines to get refilled. I was basically flat out told that my mom is no longer their patient and that they are not refilling any medications, that they would have to find a new primary care to get their medications refilled. But depending on availability and acceptance of new patients, sometimes it could be a few months before there is even an open appointment. When Maldonado got no reassurance from Bay State Health, she was left to problem solve on her own to see where she can get help for her mom. I ended up reaching out to Mass General Cooley Dickinson Primary Care. I explained them the whole complete story and my mom's new primary care doctor that she's going to be seeing March of next year actually refilled her medication until her appointment. We took Emily's concerns to Bay State Health who sent us a statement that That reads in part, quote, Several Bay State Health primary care practices are currently accepting new patients, though availability varies by provider and location. Bay State is also directing patients online for help finding a provider. We've posted a link on our website at WWLP.com.