9. With over 625,000 people
without health
insurance, Massachusetts
mandated universal
health coverage and it
became law on April 12, 2006.
10.
11. 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
12.
13. 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. *
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17.
18. Thanks for watching. Have
a great day and stay
healthy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZEOBUS4ohg
19. Works Cited
Bihari, 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>
Hinweis der Redaktion
President Obama signed into law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on March 23, 2010, which includes mandatory health coverage for people without health insurance.
Over 32 million Americans will be signing up for health insurance benefits in 2014, putting a higher demand on an already critical physician population.
How will this health care act affect each of us as individuals? It will add to the already current physician shortage problem. You will have to wait longer to get a doctors appointment and shorter visits with them once you get in.
Several Physician Specialties are already at critical levels and include; Internal Medicine, Family Medical, General Surgery and Urology.
With a baseline of 680,500 physicians, the projected physician’s practicing by 2025 is 734,300 with the demand at 859,300. This will leave a shortage of 124,400 physicians.
Massachusetts tried to fix the problem of having such a high uninsured population in their state.
With the large number of retirees without health insurance receiving care from emergency rooms and free clinics throughout the state, access to physicians was already an issue.
So with a system that was already just keeping its head above water, health reform started.
But physicians were not able to keep up with demand. Some physicians left the area in frustration, making a volatile situation even worse.
For a look at the Massachusetts Medical Society Work Force Study conducted in 2012, follow this link.
So with Massachusetts as an example, we know what we are up against.
Let’s look at the reasons for the continued shortage. *More older patients having Medicare benefits means lower reimbursement rates.
Approximately 1/3rd of physicians are older than 55.
What does this mean for the patient? Waits of over 40 days for an appointment, use of the emergency room more frequently, and waiting until their health problem is more severe, before even seeking treatment.
What is being done to stop this Physician shortage from continuing.
It takes many years to train a doctor. If you move to a new community, good luck finding a new primary care provider, especially if you are on Medicare. I would recommend bringing a list of issues and complaints to your next visit. Your doctor will be trying to fit all his patients into 15 minute increments for the entire day. Start now to build a strong relationship with your doctor. We will all need to take a more active role in our own health care needs.
Interesting U Tube video on the physician shortage by Dr. Terry Simpson. It is 4.38 minutes long.
