It’s only getting worse, and compounded by uneven distribution between specialists and PCP’s. Don’t say I didn’t warn you:
While shortages will create difficulties, an even greater problem will arise from the unequal distributions of physicians by specialty and geography, according to the Pricewaterhouse report.Only 20 percent of today’s internal medicine residents are choosing to go into primary care internal medicine; the rest are going on to pursue higher paying subspecialties, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ research.
(via symtym)
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- The candidates aren’t addressing the physician shortage
- Universal health care and the physician shortage
- Should general internal medicine merge with family practice?
- "It really is the very rare person who wants to do generalist practice"
- Why nurse practitioners and physician assistants will not solve the primary care shortage
- Will universal health care lead to a physician shortage?
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{ 5 comments }
When I was a medical student in the early 1990’s, they were saying the exact same thing; predicting huge primary care shortages and geographic disparities. Many people were encouraged to become PCPs and family physicians with the lure of “gate keeper” status. What happened was that the numbers of PCPs swelled and pay fell. When the PCP’s are REALLY at a shortage, I suspect that supply and demand will take over, and their pay will increase.
Clearly what we need is more government intervention. We need Hillary Clinton to proscribe the numbers of each specialty allowed, where they can work, how much they make and the racial distribution of physicians in various specialties.
Hillarycare! Yeah!
I never could understand why primary care docs were so anxious to call themselves “gatekeepers”.
Why not get it over with and go for “Nazi Prison Guard” or something.
And I am in primary care, by the way.
Agree with urologist. When there is enough of a shortage and IF there is value to primary care, pay will increase accordingly.
Personally, I keep value by performing as many services as I can do under one roof. I keep no gates, never did.
being the “gatekeeper” is a losing proposition in every way for a doctor:
1-makes patients (wrongly) feel you have financial gain from withholding specialty referrals
2-puts the onus on the PCP to see patients without notice or appointment for even the most minor things
3-produces tons of non-reimbursible paperwork
4-gives every specialist, tech, nurse & ancillary staff a scapegoat absolving them of any responsibility for a bad outcome
5- JUST ISN’T WORTH IT AT ALL
i’m convinced – primary care is dead.
In fairness, there are few insurance contracts, at least in my area, where you are expected to act as a “gatekeeper” in any way.
Medicaid would love to shove one down our throats, but the doctors in our area overwhelmingly refuse to sign.
Actually, as HSA’s take off, I wonder if there will be more call for primary care docs who offer more under one roof. Someone holding a HSA might appreciate the value of not having to see the cardiologist’s nurse for blood pressure, the pulmonologist’s nurse for asthma, the endocrinologist’s nurse for diabetes, pay the specialist fee and not see the specialist, when one decently trained FP physician could manage it all, and for less.
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