May 5, 2000

Much has changed over the past five years for MGH Downtown. Started in 1994 in a small office at Emerson Place with one physician and a handful of patients, the practice, now located in the heart of Downtown Crossing, has four full-time physicians, 11 support staff members and nearly 10,000 patients.

Mark Costa, MD, who started the practice and served as the medical director for two years, credits the hardworking staff and dedicated physicians for the success of the practice in serving the downtown population. "We have a terrific group of people working here," says Costa. "Everyone at MGH Downtown is dedicated to serving the needs of our patients. We are here to show the people of downtown that high-quality care can be given by doctors who know them, care about them and are accessible to them despite the hassles that are sometimes associated with managed care."

The MGH Downtown physician staff includes of Costa, Steven H. Gardner, MD, MPH; Anna C. Vouros, MD; and newcomer Barbara Holbert, MD. Richard Winickoff, MD, has been medical director since 1996, and Alan W. Jenest, MD, retired from the practice in 1999.

Now in a historic building at 294 Washington St., the practice serves two patient populations — working professionals from the financial district and patients who are referred from the MGH.

According to Gardner, the practice follows a customer service model of providing convenient care for patients. "We are extra-ordinarily busy now, but we try not to keep patients waiting," he says. "Our patients have a limited time to come in. They usually come in on their lunch break or after work, so we try to accommodate their schedules as much as we can." The practice offers convenient hours, more on-site services and the expertise of MGH specialists to accommodate patients' needs.

To help meet the demand of providing care to such a large patient base, Barbara Holbert, MD, joined the practice in October 1999 after practicing at New England Medical Center for nine years. "It is great to be here, and my patients who came here as well seem very pleased with the MGH system," says Holbert. "I also think it is good to have an additional female physician on staff. Dr. Vourous and I both have an interest in women's health, and I think we make a good team in caring for the female patients in the practice."

Thousands of patients and five years later, MGH Downtown is considered a success by MGH Primary Care Services and the Massachusetts General Physicians Organization. It is so successful, in fact, that MGH Downtown's operating style has served as a model for other MGH practices.

"Creating a successful practice is no small feat," says Britain Nicholson, MD, chief medical officer for the MGH. "Dr. Costa and his colleagues under the direction of Dr. Richard Winickoff deserve an enormous amount of credit for this achievement."

Clockwise from left, Barbara Holbert, MD, Jennifer Gurale,
Steven Gardner, MD, Phanie Duffy and Mark Costa, MD.