Data and trends Researchers predict a lower future US physician shortage than in 2020 More than 40% of the active physician workforce is nearing age 65 or over 65, reports AAMC in its annual physician shortage report. June 16, 2021Wednesday Rose Raymond Contact Rose Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email By 2034, the U.S. physician shortage will be between 37,800 and 124,000 physicians, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges’ (AAMC) annual physician supply and demand report (PDF), which was released on Friday. The projected physician shortage is lower than what AAMC reported last year, when researchers predicted a shortage of 54,100 to 139,000 physicians by 2033. Two reasons the projected shortage is now lower are a larger estimate in the number in residency positions, including a slight increase in residency funding under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, and recently revised federal Health Professional Shortage Area designations that revealed smaller starting-year shortage estimates for primary care and mental health positions, the report noted. Much of the data for this year’s report was collected prior to COVID-19. More key takeaways from the report are below. AAMC 2021 physician shortage report: More main findings AAMC predicts that the primary care physician shortage will be between 17,800 and 48,000 by 2034. The specialty physician shortage will be between 21,000 and 77,100, including: A shortage of between 15,800 and 30,200 for surgical specialties. A shortage of between 3,800 and 13,400 for medical specialties (allergy and immunology, cardiology, critical care, dermatology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, hematology and oncology, infectious diseases, neonatal and perinatal medicine, nephrology, pulmonology, and rheumatology). A shortage of between 10,300 and 35,600 for other specialties (anesthesiology, emergency medicine, neurology, pathology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, psychiatry, radiology, and other specialties). The main drivers of increasing demand for physicians are population growth and population aging. The U.S. population is expected to grow about 11% between 2019 and 2034, and the population of U.S. seniors age 75 and older is expected to grow 74% during that time. More than 40% of the active physician workforce is nearing age 65, which is considered traditional retirement age, or over 65. Researchers predict that the overall impact of COVID-19 on physician supply and demand will be small, despite major short-term disruptions. However, the impact of COVID-19 on physicians themselves, including physician practice patterns, will be much greater. “COVID-19 appears to have accelerated a deepening crisis in the well-being of physicians, nurses, and other health care workers,” the report notes. “Health care workers already experience burnout, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicide at disproportionate rates. … Given that physician burnout and job-related depression and PTSD were not being addressed adequately pre-pandemic, the effect is unlikely to resolve merely with a successful vaccination campaign.” More in Profession The day I learned about the secret DO handshake Ian Storch, DO, recalls an illuminating conversation that helped him understand what it truly means to be a DO. What DOs should know about the 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule The guide outlines several changes that could impact physician practices in 2025, including the Medicare conversion factor reduction. Previous articleAOA statement regarding testimony on Ohio HB 248 Next articleThe NRMP 2022 Match and ERAS timeline for residency applicants
The day I learned about the secret DO handshake Ian Storch, DO, recalls an illuminating conversation that helped him understand what it truly means to be a DO.
What DOs should know about the 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule The guide outlines several changes that could impact physician practices in 2025, including the Medicare conversion factor reduction.
I wonder how APRN and PAs will use this data to further encroach. Our organizations need to quit trying to be PC and address it head on. Jun. 17, 2021, at 8:27 am Reply
The national shortage is not as important as the regional distribution. The numbers will be better in the more affluent areas and much worse in the areas of most need. Additionally the bureaucratic and regulatory burden becomes a driving force for earlier retirement for some of us. I just hit the last straw to break my practices back. Jun. 17, 2021, at 2:50 pm Reply
Did the AAMC factor into their calculations the over-supply of 10,000 EM physicians the AAEM, ACOEP, and the ACEP have predicted? I’m afraid I have less-than-optimal trust in studies of physician shortages released by the very institutions that benefit most greatly by propagating such information. Jun. 19, 2021, at 11:12 am Reply