The Way Out Of The Physician Shortage
As the epidemic gradually becomes an endemic disease, its impact on primary care physicians continues to strain an already overwhelmed healthcare system. Now rising to the top of America’s health care challenge is the physician shortage, which has been predicted with increasing urgency each year since the early 2000s. The Association of American Medical Colleges now projects a shortage of 37,800 to 124,000 physicians by 2034, fueled by a perfect storm of pandemic shutdowns, physician retirements, an aging population, and growing demand for care. At the same time, the increasing popularity and predicted 10% annual growth of gated medicine practices, characterized by deliberately small patient panels, seems to exacerbate the problem.
The conversation about how to fix a broken healthcare system that began before the pandemic has shifted to increased recognition of the value provided by concierge medicine. For example, Erin E., director of research and curriculum at Harvard Medical School’s Center for Primary Care. Sullivan, Ph.D., told Scientific American: “(Before the pandemic) I used to say, ‘We don’t have enough doctors. Choosing to practice primary care.’ And if those physicians who choose primary care choose to practice in concierge-like models, you can see how that will exacerbate the shortage. choose to practice primary care? And can we learn from these models to create something better and more accessible for all patients?”
And when asked about the impact of concierge and direct primary care models on the physician shortage.
Not retirement style
At Specialdocs we are privileged to work with many experienced clinicians who are more committed than ever to being in active clinical practice. Here are some of the highlights:
“I’m Now Starting My 41st Year as a Physician and I’ve Never Loved Being a Doctor More.”
“Prior to making the switch with Specialdocs in 2018, I As a door-to-door physician, I make a real difference in the lives of my patients, taking the time to take a thorough history at every visit or wading through bureaucracy and arranging an urgent consultation with a specialist.
Dr. W.K., Chicago:
The word “burnout” is no longer part of my vocabulary.”
The pace was such that I was afraid of making a mistake and regretting it. Switching to the Specialdocs model took the daily stress off so well that it added years to my practice.
Dr. E.B., Wantagh, NY:
Partnering with Specialdocs to launch a concierge medicine practice offered a better option, and I now plan to take care of patients as long as possible.”
keeping the door open
New data from the Physician Advocacy Institute shows that nearly three-quarters of U.S. doctors now work for hospitals, health systems, or corporate organizations, a jump of nearly 20% since 2019.
We have long realized that the traditional fee-for-service model is not sustainable. While a sense of normality is returning, the situation remains bleak for primary care physicians in traditional fee-for-service practices. However, for the door-to-door medicine physicians, even as the pandemic was demanding, their professional survival was never in question. A stunning 0% of concierge medical practices closed during the pandemic, and they continue to thrive in 2022 based on a solid foundation of membership fee revenue. Freed from financial worries and overburdened patient panels, concierge physicians not only keep their doors open but their minds and hearts open as well. The Way Out Of The Physician Shortage.
