We’re Running Out of Primary Care Physicians: What Are We Going to Do About It?

The country’s current health care reforms have underscored the country’s primary care physician deficit. By the time the reforms kick into effect in 2014, the majority of Americans will be insured. In Massachusetts, where all citizens must be enrolled in some health insurance plan, universal insurance has exposed the Commonwealth’s primary care shortage. The dearth of Massachusetts primary care physicians has often made it more difficult for residents to get the care they need.

In an interesting article for Bloomberg Business week, Pat Weschler takes a look at a study of med schools, the amount of primary care doctors produced, and the “social mission” of the institutions. According to the study, Atlanta’s Morehouse School of Medicine is the top ranked med school in terms of “social mission” and primary care physicians.  Meanwhile, Harvard Medical School didn’t even break the study’s top 50, coming in at number 62.  Weschler writes that the study compiled data based on the amount of the med school graduates enter primary care, the number that serve in short-handed regions, and the amount that serve minorities.

The study focused on the “research culture” fostered at many top institutions, where specialists often model behavior to students.  One of the authors of the study, Fitzhugh Mullan, claims that schools could boost the number of primary care physicians by focusing on adding higher numbers of women, minorities, and older med students to the mix. At the same time, shifting the focus of med school curricula from research to primary care may also influence more med students to consider becoming primary care physicians.

I found the study’s claims very compelling. The culture of a college, medical school, or any other institution can very well alter your career path.  Medical schools can help reduce the primary care deficit by steering more students towards primary care. Dr Candice Chen, another one of the study’s authors, emphasizes the role of medical schools in increasing the nation’s number of primary care physicians. Breaking away from typical med school rankings may be able to help build a strong primary care base by the time the new health care reforms kick in for real.

Although I tend to agree with many of the points in the study, I do not think that one should count out the money factor.  The cost to complete medical school is astronomically high and rising higher, on top of loans from undergraduate courses of study. Primary care physicians also make far less than specialists after completing similar courses of study, which serves as another deterrent from the primary care profession. Like it or not, money plays a large role in job selection—although as the study showed, it is not the sole factor involved in the decision.

Our Primary Care Physician shortage is a national healthcare issue

By targeting medical schools in addition to (possibly) improving primary care salaries, perhaps this nation can create a strong foundation of primary care providers.  Ultimately, health care reform hinges on such a base of physicians, especially as over 30 million people will gain health insurance coverage in 2014, many of whom will most definitely seek preventative care.

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Tags: doctor shortage, doctors, healthcare, insurance, Massachusetts, Medicare, PCP, primary care physicians