Good Neighbor Nextdoor Problem Analysis

Similar to my home state of Louisiana, Tennessee has also struggled with a chronic shortage of rural primary care physicians. While this statistic does depict a true challenge for our two states, over the years Meharry Medical College has done an exceptional job in inspiring medical students to one-day practice in a rural setting and bring about better health care to underserved individuals, regardless of race or ethnicity. This aspect

Bernstein is very familiar with medical and healthcare terminology, much more so than the average person; however, his language is familiar enough for an educated reader to follow along. With his experience as a blogger, he uses casual language to explain the economic side of the doctor shortage. Bernstein addresses, “The organization called on Congress to raise the federal cap on slots for medical residents at teaching hospitals by 3,000 annually, at a cost it estimated would be about $1 billion per year.” Most people don’t know what a medical residency is and how it works, but Bernstein’s language indicates that a residency, which is a part of a physician’s training, involves the government’s money and the limited number of slots at a hospital. This helps the reader better understand that job and educational opportunities are still limited for doctors, thus contributing to a doctor shortage. The use of diction helps Bernstein effectively explain the economic side of the anticipated

Baby boomer aging is one of the large causative factors of this increase in demand (Glicken & Miller, 2013, p.1883-1889). According to Glicken & Miller (2013), the elderly population will nearly double in the next fifteen years putting a strain on the healthcare workforce. Also, more than half of physicians have intentions on limiting care access with regards to Medicare patients. Many medical doctors are refusing to care for Medicaid patients. This is a result of the growing number of individuals now with the means to afford healthcare due to the

Medical schools need to increase the number of students being accepted from rural areas. These graduating physicians tend to go back practicing back in the rural community.

There will be an increase in budget deficit in the short-term due and due to the increased demand for primary care visits, we might experience a shortage 12,500-31,000 physicians by 2025

Regardless of the many factors influencing the supply of physicians such as movement away from managed care, increase in the number of female physicians, lifestyle preferences, population growth, and increase in average lifespan, there still continues to be a physician shortage here in the United States. In order to fill these available positions in doctors’ offices, hospitals, and clinics due to the physician shortage, we are using IMGs, or international medical graduates.

Primary care is the backbone of many industrialized nations, but is the US one of them? Unfortunately, the answer is no. The US lags behind such developed nations in its accessibility of primary care by a huge difference. The United States healthcare system fails to ensure the timely preventative and primary care for its residents. The current estimates indicate that there is merely one physician for every 2,500 patients. Not only Medicare beneficiaries, but also privately insured adults struggle in accessing the right primary care physician at the right time. Moreover, maldistribution of physicians only exacerbates the problem, especially for those residing in health professional shortage areas (HPSA).15 Approximately, sixty-five million Americans live in designated primary care shortage areas.13 Such underserved population faces higher disease and death rates and health disparities that then result in higher rates of hospitalizations and emergency department visits—in other words, expensive medical bills.21 More governmental control on the geographic location of primary care physicians can be a first-step to fixing the shortage problem.

Another threat is the current state of rural hospitals nationwide. According to the case study, about 25% of Americans live in rural areas and only about 10% of physicians actually practice in rural areas. There is a 15% gap in the ratio of rural citizens to available practicing physicians. This is a threat to ELH’s need to attract and hire more physicians. In relation to rural hospitals, citizens have longer drive times to their medical facilities. This causes them to delay routine visits which subsequently exacerbates

Compared to many other countries, the United States has a healthcare system much more focused on specialists than general practitioners. Instead of using primary care providers as the gate keepers, many patients seek care directly from specialists. Additionally, with the constant pressure of malpractice or improper practice accusations, primary care providers are less willing to provide services outside of the basic realm of general care. This leads to an abundance of specialist referrals, many of which might be unnecessary. Further, evidence shows that specialists are generally compensated at a higher rate than general practitioners. This combination of factors has led to and is continuing to foster reduced numbers of general practitioners and increasing numbers of specialists. This trend may become a danger to the industry. General practitioners are crucial in maintaining population level health, increasing access, and reducing costs. As the number of general providers dwindles we risk returning towards a healthcare system with limited access. If we want to reverse this trend, we must recreate the norm that relies on general practitioners as a trustworthy and competent first line of service. This will require incentivizing medical professionals to train as general practitioners and reassuring individuals that these providers can provide a variety of services. Renewing the trust and utilization of general practitioners can ultimately lead to reduced costs and increased

This does not seem in part to be too concerning, but in a town of well over two thousand people, it can be a hassle to make appointments to see the doctor, if appointments are available at all. From Star City, the nearest other doctor is over a thirty minute drive away, and this could have serious repercussions for anyone that needs immediate attention. Star City is not the only town with this same problem in Arkansas, and this should provide worry overall for the health of Arkansans. As a citizen of Star City, my concern with health care began at an early age, and as I got older I realized that I wanted to give back to the state I was raised in. If I were to complete a degree in the medical field, I wouldn’t be able to solve all of the problems that plague Arkansas’ health care system, but I hope that my contribution could help smaller towns like Star City get the help they so desperately need. With such a deficit of students looking into health care careers, the health care field is now more important than ever for the

With an expanding and aging population, the demand for physicians has never been higher. Rural regions across the country are already experiencing physician shortages, specifically in primary care. According to the Association of America Medical Colleges, the United States will have a shortage of more than 130,600 physicians by 2025, equally split between general practitioners and other medical specialties. Although its true that the number of medical students being trained in the United States is increasing due to the opening of new medical schools and expansion of class size, the number of practicing physicians will not increase unless the number of residency slots is increased. The number of residency training slots is the bottleneck to increasing the number of practicing physicians. New doctors need to complete a residency-training program in order to practice medicine, and these training slots are becoming progressively more competitive. The programs are limited in size, and the increasing number of medical school graduates leaves medical doctors without a enough training slots. The looming doctor shortage will only get worse if medical school graduates continue to be left out of residency training programs, and are forced to wait till the following year to re-apply.

The Primary Care Cliff is set to leave it’s biggest mark on Community Centers in October, that is when the funding for the Health Center Graduate Medical Education program runs out. The Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) addresses the need for primary care doctors in rural and underprivileged areas. Physicians doing their residencies in a This is only one area of the ACA funding that was created to enhance primary care physicians in an already primary care shortage that included funding residencies and expanding reimbursement for primary care providers. Given that the U.S. Congress is unlikely to expand these fundings due to its deep division on funding healthcare, local communities may need to take on this issue to keep their local health centers active. With over 120 Community Health Centers and FQHCs in the city of Chicago alone, losing funding would be disasterous. Local stakeholder groups that would support a funding shift or flex funding to continue the THCGME would be based on an interest in continuing community centers,

Due to the misdirected cost of care, access to healthcare has impacted through increased demands for medical services and the decrease in medical personnel to provide needed services. Comparatively, estimating by 2021 ten to twenty-one million new direct care workers will be needed in order to cover the projected health care demands (Herman & Rollins, 2003). Nevertheless, the juxtaposition of medical shortcomings and quality of care has also impacted. Henceforth, the current lack of medical personnel such as physicians, nurses, and advanced practitioners have impacted health care quality, causing the majority of Americans to receive health care services through hospital emergency departments and government- subsidized community health centers

My biggest concern regarding the future of medicine lies in the unequal access to quality, affordable healthcare. Having worked at two facilities with largely under and/or uninsured patient populations, I have directly witnessed the consequences suffered by those lacking insurance secondary to high costs. Without adequate coverage, regular appointments are not scheduled, symptoms are not addressed, and previously treatable illnesses transform into illnesses that are much less manageable and potentially even life threatening. Although significant strides have been made via the Affordable Care Act to reduce the outstanding numbers of uninsured Americans, an estimated thirty million still remain subject to out of pocket expenses should they fall

The purpose of this paper is to examine the three important trends in the physician industry. Special focus is given to these trends because the United States health care system is experiencing changes. Health care system is at its pivot point and all sources attention is needed for better outcomes. These trends are,