Health reform to worsen doctor shortage

[Eric Johnson]

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE68T67120100930

http://tinyurl.com/23kf9yf

Thu Sep 30, 2010 6:04pm EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. healthcare reform law will worsen a shortage of physicians as millions of newly insured patients seek care, the Association of American Medical Colleges said on Thursday.

The group's Center for Workforce Studies released new estimates that showed shortages would be 50 percent worse in 2015 than forecast.

-more-

Sorry to say Dave, you're just going to have to work harder....

Eric

[dnf777]

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE68T67120100930

http://tinyurl.com/23kf9yf

Thu Sep 30, 2010 6:04pm EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. healthcare reform law will worsen a shortage of physicians as millions of newly insured patients seek care, the Association of American Medical Colleges said on Thursday.

The group's Center for Workforce Studies released new estimates that showed shortages would be 50 percent worse in 2015 than forecast.

-more-

Sorry to say Dave, you're just going to have to work harder....

Eric

Funny you should mention.....

At the very same time these estimates are coming out, there are other agencies concerned with long work hours of physicians, and are suggesting a model (get ready for this) similar to European models of limited work hours!

That won't help a worker shortage situation! They're already limited resident hours to 80 hours per week. (that's maximum, not minimum) That has been very damaging to the quality of surgeons hitting the workforce. I routinely worked 120 hour weeks, and when I completed training, well, even by my chief resident year, could operate safely independently. Over 70% of graduating surgery residents now choose to do a fellowship for additional training. Not only does this lengthen training, but it limits what surgeons are willing to do now that they've become specialists. Not all are willing to continue to work as a general surgeon. This will get much worse before it gets better. I just wish it would follow the classis supply-demand wage curve!