According to American Medical News, the physician shortage is expected to grow to 91,500 over the next 10 years. Reasons include the growing contingent of baby boomers who’ll need care, including long term care, and the expansion of health care to cover millions more Americans. An excerpt:
To counter shortages, the [Association of American Medical Colleges] work force projections is urging federal officials to lift limits on Medicare funding for residency positions, which have been capped at 100,000 slots since 1997.
The Dept. of Health and Human Services estimates that the physician supply will increase by just 7% in the next decade and decrease in specialties such as urology and thoracic surgery. During the same period, one-third of practicing physicians are expected to retire and the number of Americans 65 and older is projected to grow 36%, according to figures released Sept. 30 by the AAMC Center for Workforce Studies.
“These are great challenges,” said Patricia Hicks, MD, director of the pediatric residency program at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and professor of clinical pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. “It’s critical to increase the number of residency training programs.”
Lower Medicaid reimbursement fees may be attributed to the shortage. American Medical News reports that 20 states cut payment rates for FY 2010, and cuts will continue under health care reform.
