Ever schedule an appointment with a physician only to see a mid-level provider instead?
Patients better get used to it, as the doctor shortage, especially in primary care, is leading hospitals and practices to staff mid-level providers like nurse practitioners and physician assistants instead.
A retired doctor reminisces about the old days, and notes that “it is really all about economics,” and that the doctors patients really want “cannot realistically exist under the current economic situation.”
Financial trends are causing the system to evolve to one where doctors are in supervisory role, delegating direct patient care to surrogate mid-levels.
