EVERETT — Some Providence Swedish primary care clinics have started reserving a portion of appointments for patients on commercial insurance, a Providence spokesperson confirmed Wednesday.

About 5% to 10% of appointments will be unavailable to patients who are uninsured or covered by non-commercial insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid.

On July 1, 25 clinics began rolling out the scheduling changes, which affect all Providence medical groups across seven states. In addition to primary care, each medical group was encouraged to identify five specialty areas to be included in the rollout. Providence did not confirm which specialties were included in Washington.

The changes are intended to expand appointment access to patients, said Dr. Scott Foster-Edwards, regional chief executive f

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