Carolyn Linnebur, MD
Specializes in Internal Medicine and Cardiology.
By CAROL A. CLARK
Los Alamos Daily Post
caclark@ladailypost.com
The following is a Question & Answer (Q&A) report with MANNM.
Who is MANNM?
Medical Associates of Northern New Mexico (MANNM) was established in 1974 by Dr. Carolyn Linnebur, and we recently celebrated our 50th anniversary. We are an independent, women-owned practice providing medical care in Los Alamos.
Are you affiliated with the hospital, and would you consider being acquired by a hospital system?
MANNM is an independent practice and is not affiliated with Los Alamos Medical Center (LAMC). We happen to adjoin LAMC and lease the land from them. We do have privileges at the hospital and in the Ambulatory Treatment Unit which is a great asset to the community. This allows us to provide important services locally, including certain medications and infusions when patients need them. Examples include iron infusions, osteoporosis treatments, and other infusions that a specialist may want a patient to receive close to home.
Dr. Molly Vosburg, MD
Specializes in Internal Medicine.
Remaining independent allows us to maintain control over our schedules and preserve the small-town character of our practice. Our mission is to provide outstanding care to every patient, and independence gives us greater flexibility to determine how much time each patient needs rather than following a volume-driven model which forces providers to only spend 10-15 minutes per patient. Currently, we believe remaining independent best supports our patients and our mission.
Some patients have expressed concerns about appointment availability, phone response times, and overall communication. How would you respond?
We care deeply about our patients. We have served this community for more than 50 years, and we want to continue providing care for years to come. Our patients are our lifeblood, and we would not exist if it were not for them.
Dr. Linnebur has practiced for more than 50 years, Dr. Vosburg recently marked 25 years at MANNM, Dr. Garimella has been with us for 20 years, and Dr. Carr for 17 years. All of them could have retired or sought alternate employment at the lab or the university. However, it is the commitment to their patients which has made them stay. This includes our advanced practice providers as well. All our providers are highly qualified, and additional background about them is available on our website https://mannm.com/primary-care-and-specialty-providers/.
Dr. Michelle Carr, MD
Specializes in Family Practice.
We work hard to serve every patient we can. There are times when limitations such as insurance participation or patient-safety concerns may affect scheduling, but those decisions are made carefully and responsibly. We would never turn away a patient frivolously. Privacy laws limit what we can address publicly about individual situations, which makes it difficult to respond to specific and negative comments in social media or a public forum.
Like many small businesses, we continue to face challenges in hiring and retaining enough staff to meet growing demands. Our team supports customer service, clinical operations, administrative work, medical records and 2 full-time people handling prior authorizations to keep the clinic running smoothly.
We understand that it has been difficult for patients to reach us, and we take those concerns seriously. We pay close attention to patient comments and criticism because our patients are the reason we are here.
Madhavi Garimella, MD
Board Certified in Internal Medicine as well as Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism.
We are actively working to improve our phone system. Our team leader is putting processes in place to monitor call volume and wait times so we can identify problems and address them more effectively.
We have lost several providers over the past two years. Burnout, better benefits elsewhere, and broader challenges within New Mexico have all contributed to those departures. This is not just with our practice, but at the county and statewide level.
Dr. David Mills left because of burnout. Dr. Christopher Lee left New Mexico to practice in Texas. Dr. Power, who had been on sabbatical, recently has decided to retire. Ms. Bailly moved to the lab, another provider joined a different practice, and Mr. Roberto Pardo abruptly informed us by text one morning that he would not be returning to work, leaving us no time to let patients know.
Altogether, our practice has recently lost six providers and in the last 5 years several more like our beloved Drs. Church, Goddard and Daly. Across the county, there have also been losses in several specialties, including urology, gastroenterology, rheumatology, dermatology, and primary care. In addition, one of our physicians is currently on sabbatical to rest and recharge.
This might be normal attrition in other places as people retire or move away. However, it is extremely hard to recruit in Los Alamos.
Over the past six months, our practice manager, Mr. Doug Bishop and Dr. Linnebur have interviewed no less than 21 candidates. Many have been drawn to our independent model and the flexibility it gives us to focus on patient care. We know that LAMC and other practices are actively trying to recruit as well.
Why is recruitment challenging in Los Alamos?
Los Alamos offers many advantages, including a strong sense of community, safety, and natural beauty. However, recruiting providers and staff remains difficult because housing costs in the area are exceptionally high.
For many candidates, relocating is only feasible if a spouse also has employment at the laboratory, which significantly narrows the applicant pool. The same challenge affects staff recruitment: many potential employees cannot afford to live in Los Alamos and instead seek jobs closer to home rather than commute here for work.
This is not a challenge unique to our practice. It affects the entire county, including LAMC, and reflects a broader community-wide issue.
We have worked hard to address these gaps. We brought in locum providers to help ensure continuity of care, and Ms. Anne Pieck, a certified nurse practitioner, joined us in January 2026. Our current providers are working overtime to try to ensure that our existing patients are taken of.
We are also pleased to announce that a new family practitioner, Dr. Heather Stortz, signed her contract last week and will be joining us in August.
How have medicine and communication changed?
The practice of medicine has changed significantly over the past decade, especially since COVID. Electronic medical records and portal messages have increased the administrative burden on providers. At the same time,
insurance requirements, particularly prior authorizations, often add delays and frustration for both patients and staff. There is also a great deal of medical information online, and it can be difficult for patients to know what is reliable or how to interpret what they read. Patients are more distrustful and suspicious of their providers amidst an onslaught of information on medications, effects and side effects.
Providers are not without responsibility in this. We recognize that we also have a role to play and that there are times when we could communicate more clearly and effectively.
We know we cannot meet every patient’s expectations, but we are committed to doing our best. We are sorry when patients leave feeling disappointed, and we respect their decision to seek care that better meets their needs. Ongoing negativity and abuse in person and on social media where we cannot defend ourselves, can be very discouraging for our staff and providers, who are working hard to serve patients thoughtfully and professionally. We ask for patience and grace.
Ultimately there is no easy solution, but we at MANNM are grateful for the trust this community has placed in us over the past 50 years. We do not take any of it for granted and hope to continue to be an oasis of excellent, personalized and compassionate care in the medical desert of New Mexico.