Fewer doctors, more waiting

The Portland Tribune ^ | Aug 8, 2008 | peter korn

[george76]

Lack of primary care physicians boosting health costs, hassles.

There were days last fall when Gabrielle McGrew felt she must be the most popular physician in Oregon – and she hadn’t even begun practicing.

McGrew is one of only three graduating residents who are choosing to practice primary care medicine, and the only one in Portland. Most of the other 31 internal medicine residents are taking fellowships that likely will lead to careers as specialists.

the long-term implications of the growing shortage of primary care doctors could be a disaster, experts say, given the steadily growing number of senior citizens ...

Those waits already are long for many Portland patients, especially those with Medicare or Medicaid health insurance. Those providers don’t reimburse physicians at as high a rate as most private insurers.

About 45 percent of all Oregon physicians won’t even take new Medicare patients... With a glut of patients and a lack of internists, McMullan says, they have begun rejecting the patients whose insurance won’t reimburse them as well.

And it’s getting worse. McMullan says that a few weeks ago a BlueCross member in Salem, fully insured, could not find a primary care physician willing to see her. BlueCross staff said they’d help, but found the task insurmountable.

[george76]

If you think health care is expensive and the waits are long now, wait until its "Free", lol!

What are the communist / liberals going to do if they ever get their population controlling, socialized healthcare system?

Force people to become doctors? Lower standards to become a doctor? Salary caps on doctor pay?

ht comments

[george76]

The physician shortage in the United States is real and getting worse

http://www.recruitingtrends.com/online/research_corner/1143-1.html

[CE2949BB]

I can play a Doctorb. :)

The B is for bargain!

[george76]

the advancing age of the baby-boomer generation is creating a disease burden that will cause the demand for pulmonary and critical care services to outstrip the supply of specialists in those fields.

“As people age, they tend to have more chronic diseases and are more likely to end up in the intensive care unit ,” Dr. Kelley reported ...

To formulate their predictions, the committee used national population, hospital, patient, and clinician data derived from multiple sources. Details of the study methodology are given in the box found below.

http://www.pulmonaryreviews.com/apr01/pr_apr01_shortage.html

[neverdem]

thanks, bfl

[facedown]

Force people to become doctors? Lower standards to become a doctor? Salary caps on doctor pay?

They've already done the second, talked about the third and will undoubtedly figure out a way to do the first.

[Pining_4_TX]

They will also do what Britain has done - bring in oodles of third world doctors. Be sure to enjoy your next visit with Dr. Mohammed, who would love to see you dead.

[TheWasteLand]

The doctor shortage is real alright, and it will get much worse under socialized health care.

If people think a litigious culture drives students away from medicine, wait until they see what government determined pay scales will do.

[Pining_4_TX]

Oregon has a very socialized system already, doesn’t it? That would explain a lot. The more government is involved, the more there will be shortages, rationing, and a deterioration in quality and efficiency... not to mention higher and higher costs.

[george76]

The AMA predicts that there will be a shortage of as many as 40,000 primary care physicians in the U.S. by 2025.

.

[thesetruths]

Oregon has a very socialized system already, doesn’t it?

and "assisted suicide"

[businessprofessor]

If people think a litigious culture drives students away from medicine, wait until they see what government determined pay scales will do.

If physicians are government employees, they will have the right to strike especially when card check becomes law. Perhaps physicians should start a work stoppage for Congressional health care. That is one strike that I will support.

We are in for a hard lesson in economics with the rat plans for health care. Price controls will have devasting impacts on health care availability and quality. I just hope that the rats can experience the impacts. I have a feeling that the rats will find a way to insulate themselves from these nasty impacts.

[george76]

Areas of the United States where the most care is delivered by primary care physicians have lower overall costs, higher patient satisfaction, and, as a rule, better outcomes.

A primary care doctor can be a trusted, friendly advisor who sees a patient over many years. When serious health problems strike, the primary care doctor can become the patient’s medical shepherd, helping to guide him through a complicated system of specialists and hospitals.

In any rational health care system, primary care doctors are central to keeping quality of care high and costs low.

http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/primary_care_physician_shortage/

[originalbuckeye]

The Med student will not be able to choose a school, choose a specialty or choose where they work. Socialized medicine is a disaster. Another thing the 0bamunist hasn't told people, the taxpayers pay to educate the Doctors. That's why the Med student has no choices; we will be paying for them. One good thing about Socialized medicine though, no need for malpractice insurance. The patient can't sue the Government.

[WFTR]

Part of the problem is artificial demand created by corporations that are too intent on controlling employees. If I have a flu, the best way to get well is to spend a week in bed. After a week in bed, I feel better, and I can return to work. Unfortunately, my employer insists that I go to a doctor if I miss more than four days of work. Technically, the doctor is supposed to certify that I am healthy enough to return to work. Of course, if I visit at the beginning of the flu, he can't say that I'm healthy enough to return to work. If I visit when I'm better, then I'm just wasting my time and his time. When we multiply that wasted time over millions of employees of equally stupid companies, we end up with millions of needless trips to see primary care physicians. Those needless trips create an artificial demand that adds to the shortage.

I'm hesitant to favor the government forcing companies to stop having these stupid policies. Generally, nothing good happens when government starts forcing things. On the other hand, some companies really need to be knocked down a few levels.

Bill

[Nathan Zachary]

You got it.

And if they think there are shortages of primary care docs now, just wait till the government forces them to work and not get paid.

How many will choose to spend 7 years in med school and $100,000 + in education costs/ student loans only to work in “free” clinics for pay far less than an Auto worker gets with basically no education requirements?

[LaineyDee]

Force people to become doctors? Lower standards to become a doctor? Salary caps on doctor pay?

All of the above....

I have several Dr. friends who are ready to throw in the towel and retire early. They have been driven into group practices (due to liability ins. costs) and made to kowtow to guidelines, quotas, etc... so that it's impossible to give quality care to their patients. Their standard of living expectations are way below what they were 30 years ago... so the incentive to spend the time and $$ to go to med school has waned.

[KoRn]

"figure out a way to do the first."

Rather than forcing people to become doctors, for the moment they are importing them as fast as they can. I've met new doctors at our local hospital in the past couple of years that could barely speak English, I couldn't even begin to pronounce their names, and I don't think they could pronounce mine. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if I learned they were throwing spears at animals just months before working at our hospital.

[EyeGuy]

The insanely lengthy and expensive process of educating, not just physicians, but all healthcare professionals must stop as well. The goal seems to be to keep these kids in school as long as possible, bleeding them bone dry financially the entire time.

Costs and expenses are put under a microsope in every other area of society and business, yet NOTHING is ever said about the neverending, upwardly spiraling costs of education.

The greed and exploitation of BigEducation, to ...ahem... coin a phrase, from another, unjustly maligned industry.

[Pining_4_TX]

See, those clever pols in Oregon have already devised a plan to overcome the shortage of doctors. Kill the patients.