PHYSICIAN SHORTAGE POSSIBILITIES

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Actwww.sciencebuzz.org

32 MILLION MORE

The Affordable Care Act

Longer wait for a Doctors appointment.

Cause Physician shortages.

Shorter preventative care visits.

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The Association of American MedicalColleges (AAMC) projects a shortage.

AAMC Physician Supply and Demand Projection

20052010201520202025

734,300 - Supply859,300 - Demand

Let’s use the state of Massachusetts as an example.

Already aging population.

www.Drscoundrels.com

With over 625,000

people without health insurance, Massachusetts

mandated universal health coverage and it became law on April 12, 2006.

. By March 2010, over 400,000 residents were now insured

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Many more people were getting health care, but Massachusetts continued to struggle with the shortage of Physicians.

http://www.massmed.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Research_Reports_and_Studies2&CONTENTID=77977&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm

Large college education expenses for upcoming doctors.

Only 5% of medical school graduates are entering the primary care field.

More physicians are going into the more lucrative specialist fields of medicine.

Physicians have to treat more patients at less per capita. *

An increasing percentage of women are in the field and only work part-time or cut back hours to raise a family.

Cost increases of keeping a medical practice running.

More physicians are retiring with less physicians stepping up to take their place.

Difficulty in recruitment and retention.

Trouble finding a Primary Care Physician who is accepting new patients.

Longer wait time for an appointment.

More emergency room visits.

Traveling further to see a doctor.

Foregoing treatment completely, causing more acute cases.

In 2010, the federal government started investing $11 billion over the next five years to expand Community Health Centers and improve access to primary care services. Federal funds were made available for training programs for doctors, nurses and public health professionals.

Training nurse practitioners and physician assistants to cover a broader scope of practice is being tested, in order to fill the void.

Medical schools are currently on track to reach a 30% increase by 2018.

Expanded use of electronic health records that allows sharing of information . More efficient and cost effective without unnecessary repeat tests.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZEOBUS4ohg

Thanks for watching. Have a great day and stay healthy.

Works CitedBihari, Michael, MD. “How Will Health Reform Affect Me? Immediate Benefits of Health Reform Legislation”. About.com. 02 Apr 2010. 20 Mar 2013.Bihari, Michael, MD. “Health Reform and the Doctor Shortage in the U.S. Availability of Primary Care Physicians” - the Massachusetts Experience, About.com. 26 Mar 2010. <http://healthinsurance.about.com/od/reform/a/PCP_shortage.htm>Bodenheimer, Thomas, MD. “Coordinating Care – A Perilous Journey through the Health Care System”.New England Journal of Medicine, (Mar. 2008).Epstein, Lita. “Will you be able to find a doctor in 2014?” Daily Finance, 28 May 2010.Web. 22 Mar 2013.Erndt, Cortney. “Despite More Grads, Health Care Providers Struggle to Fill Jobs.” Capital News Service. 1 Mar 2013. Web. 8 Apr 2013. <http://news.jrn.msu.edu/capitalnewsservice/2013/03/01/despite-more-grads-health- care- providers-struggle-to-fill-jobs/Lin, Judy. “Bills Would Address Suspected Doctors Shortage.” Associated Press. 14 Mar. 2013. Web. 8 Apr. 2013. <http://news.yahoo.com/bills-address-expected-doctor-shortage- 135136332.html.>Lowrey, Annie and Robert Pear. “Doctor Shortage to Worsen with Health Care Law”. 31 Jul 2012.Web. 23 Mar 2013.Strand, Michael. “Operators of Health Clinics Expect to See More Patients, Get Paid Less.” The Salina Journal, 17 Mar. 2013. Web. 8 Apr. 2013. <http://www.insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=375603&type=newswires>Tuchinsky, Evan. “Bracing for 2014.”News Review, 19 Jul 2012, Web. 23 Mar 2013. <http://www.newsreview.com/chico/bracing-for-2014/content?oid=6773145>