Source: Kaiser Family Foundation

From The New York Times comes this interesting article, “Doctor Shortage Likely to Worsen With Health Law,” stating that increasing access to health care will mean physician shortages in many regions. It would be interesting to understand the assumptions behind these conclusions. Many factors impact these trends. Including the relative low status that primary care specialties hold in medicine, at least economically, the preference for well-educated clinicians for some settings and communities over others, an aging population beset by many chronic conditions, and a care model that may need revision. As we understand many common disorders, other practitioners, including nurses, physician assistants and others may be quite qualified to address and care for them. Read More…

The Los Angeles Times describes one possible solution to the doctor shortage in their article, “In-store Clinics Look to Be a Remedy for Healthcare Law Influx.” With an estimated shortage of 40,000 primary-care doctors by 2020, pharmacy giant CVS Caremark Corp, Target Corp., Walmart and other retailers are preparing to open more walk-in clinics to help address the physician shortage. Read More…