| A recent BusinessWeek article "Physician, Clone | | | | is very costly. On a national level it adds up to the |
| Thyself" suggests an alarming physician shortage | | | | billions of dollars. |
| in the future due to an increasing access to | | | | The problem, though, goes beyond insurance |
| medical care. The author speculates that once 30 | | | | issues. Some patients, even with a good |
| some million additional patients become insured, | | | | insurance, are simply not being compliant with |
| that will put a tremendous stress on a primary | | | | their treatment. They can afford. They just don't |
| care system. There is already a shortage of the | | | | care enough about it to make any changes. And if |
| primary care physicians and even more patients | | | | things get worse? Well, then they just be |
| 'eligible' to see a doctor will, surely, make it worse. | | | | readmitted to the Hospital since somebody else is |
| Lets look at it from a hospital based physician | | | | paying for it anyway. |
| perspective. | | | | As far as shortage of the primary care providers, |
| Many patients with chronic conditions like Diabetes | | | | the problem will likely to get worse. The issue, |
| or Hypertension simply do not have any adequate | | | | though, is not the increasing number of the 'eligible' |
| outpatient follow-up. Thus, these patients use | | | | patients. If anything this is a welcome change. This |
| Emergency Rooms and Hospitals as their care | | | | is the whole point of the healthcare reform - to |
| providers which add tremendously to the cost of | | | | make everybody insured. The real problem is how |
| care. Many patients 'have to wait' until their | | | | unattractive the specialty became for the medical |
| condition is bad enough so that they could go to | | | | students and residents. When I was finishing |
| the Emergency Room and be admitted. | | | | medical residency, the general attitude was - you |
| Managing chronic conditions on an outpatient basis | | | | have to try to get into fellowship or become a |
| might reduce readmission rate and, actually, cut | | | | hospitalist. And if you can't, well... than you go to |
| the cost of the healthcare. By preventing | | | | primary care. Oh, and if you are a foreign medical |
| complications of many chronic diseases like | | | | graduate on a J-Visa, you might get stuck doing |
| Diabetes, patients could avoid costly treatments | | | | primary care to get a visa waiver. |
| and procedures in the future. For example, being | | | | We can open a lot more Medical School spots, but |
| compliant with your insulin will decrease the risk of | | | | until Primary Care becomes more attractive for |
| kidney failure, coronary artery disease, stroke etc. | | | | the new graduates, nothing is going to change. |
| Once those complications develop, treating them | | | | |