Physician Shortage: Fact or Fiction? A Look Into the Rumors of a Shortage

So, you need to see a primary care doctor. You’ve had a nagging lump in your neck that is causing concern and you figure it’s time to get it checked. After dialing your family physician, you’re told that you can schedule an appointment, but you’ll have to wait for almost 2 months before the doctor has time to see you.

This is a scary scenario, but unfortunately this is what some patients in Massachusetts are facing today. In 2006, the state legislature passed a healthcare reform that bears similarities to the Obama administration’s recent bill. This healthcare reform, combined with an already stressed healthcare system, is making it a little bit tougher for Massachusetts residents to access healthcare.

Growing Shortage Concerns

For years, the healthcare industry has been plagued with growing concerns over a potential physician shortage. Studies by different organizations have reached forecast assumptions about what the shortage could look like in terms of patient to doctor ratios. The lowest projection from the Department of Health and Human Services shows a shortage of over 65,000 by 2020, while other projections have the shortage upwards toward the 200,000 mark.

Impact of Healthcare Reform

President Obama’s signature sealed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (hereafter referred to as the healthcare reform act). With that flick of the pen, the President introduced an additional 30 million patients into the healthcare system. This increase of just 4% has the potential to stress an already ailing system to the max. The question remains if our hospitals and primary care doctors’ offices are ready for the influx of patients.

Other Contributing Factors

Aside from the healthcare reform act, there are other major factors contributing to the impending physician shortage. The “baby boomer” generation is quickly reaching retirement age, and with it, many physicians will be hanging up their stethoscopes in exchange for post-retirement vacations and other leisurely activities. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, one-third of the active physician population is over the age of 55. The Pennsylvania Medical Society reported that in 2006, fewer than 8 percent of physicians in the state were under the age of 35.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the trend from 1990 to 2000 in population growth showed an increase of 13.2 percent, representing 32.7 million people. Data from the 2010 census has yet to be released; however, there does seem to be a continued rise in the nation’s population growth rate.

What You Can Do

It is nearly impossible to tell if the predictions of the physician shortage will come into full bloom, and if they do, whether it will be as harsh as expected. Now, the question becomes, if a shortage rears its ugly head in the next few years, what, if anything, can you do to make sure that your employees are getting the care they need?

The answer is that, yes, you can be instrumental in ensuring that you and your employees stay covered.

Review Your PPO Network: Take another look at your PPO network to make sure that there is strong coverage for primary care physicians and urgent care facilities, such as hospitals. Make sure that this includes facilities not only close to your office locations, but also within close proximity to your employees’ home locations. If there is significant holes in your network, contact your PPO networks to find out if they can negotiate contracts with facilities within the range that you want them.

Find a Primary Care Physician: Encourage your employees to find a primary care physician as soon as possible if they do not currently have one. New employees, in particular, may not have a family doctor if they relocated for their job or if their former doctor is no longer in-network. Many physicians will stop accepting new patients if their patient load becomes too great.

Educate Employees on Retail Health Clinics: The consumer world of healthcare has arrived, and it can be a viable option when urgent care is needed quickly. Even though retail clinics have been around for 10 years, many people are still relatively uneducated about their existence. Instead of visiting a physician office or the emergency room, your employees can pull up to a Walgreens, MinuteClinic, or other retail clinic to be seen by a medical professional, who is typically a nurse practitioner or physician assistant.

While not much can be done by the general populations in terms of the broader medical care issues, every precaution and strategy should be taken to ensure that your employees are able to receive care in an effective and efficient manner.

About the Author

Richard A. Longo, RN, FACHE, FACMPE, possesses extensive and varied experience in healthcare management and strategy development gained through over 25 years in the healthcare industry. He is currently the Senior Vice President of Network Management for Devon Health Services, Inc., one of the largest regional PPOs in the Northeast.  Richard can be reached at rlongo@devonhealth.com.