Physician shortages pose a risk to the nation's health

AMA Leader Commentary. By J. Edward Hill, MD, Feb. 20, 2006.

AMA LEADER COMMENTARY

A few words about current events in medical practice

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A message to all physicians from the president of the American Medical Association, J. Edward Hill, MD

For the last couple of months, it's been hard to pick up a news magazine or newspaper without reading about influenza and the threat of a pandemic. Nobody knows when such a pandemic might emerge, or what population it might hit first. All we know is that it will someday strike, and that we in medicine and public health had better be prepared.

The same might be said of a less well known, but no less ominous public health threat: The coming shortage of physicians in our country. We don't know exactly when this shortage will reach crisis levels, or which patients it will affect most. But we are fairly certain a shortage of physicians is coming, and we need to get ready for it.

More and more medical organizations, including the AMA, are coming around to this point of view. In fact, at the AMA's 2005 Annual Meeting, the House of Delegates passed policy stating that a physician shortage is already here, at least in some regions and for some specialties.

What's more, based on the current evidence, we believe the problem is likely to get worse.

Here's why.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s researchers neither accounted for nor predicted some important social, economic and demographic trends for the 21st century. Yet these trends are having a huge impact on the demand for physician services, as well as our ability to meet that demand.

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The AMA's House of Delegates is holding its Interim Meeting Nov. 7-10 in Houston, addressing issues such as health system reform and physician payment.
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