The physician shortage is becoming increasingly evident in non-rural areas, such as the Las Vegas area and its 2 million residents, as it can take six months to see a primary care physician for a routine check-up and up to a year to see a specialist, according to a Bloomberg Businessweek report.
The lengthy wait times to see physicians suggest repercussions of the nationwide physician shortage are extending beyond rural areas and hitting denser cities, such as Las Vegas and Detroit. Residents in those cities must wait weeks or months for an appointment or travel hundreds of miles for care, according to the report. In the article, one woman and her family moved from Las Vegas to Phoenix so she could have better access to cancer specialists.
A shortfall of 130,000 physicians is expected within 12 years, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. The number of physician assistants is expected to rise by an additional 108,000 by 2020, which will ease some effects of the shortage, but PAs still can't replace specialists.
Since physicians tend to practice near where they trained, states like Nevada and Idaho may be hit the hardest — they don't have large medical schools or training hospitals.
One physician cited in the report specialized in children's digestive disorders. It generally takes two months for an appointment with him during one of his 13-hour workdays, as he is only one of six specialists of his kind in Nevada. Comparatively, it takes about a week to see one of Cleveland Clinic's 10 pediatric gastroenterologists, according to the report.
Study: Physician Shortage Dire for 7 Specialties in Massachusetts
U.S. Physician Shortage to Reach 130,000
The lengthy wait times to see physicians suggest repercussions of the nationwide physician shortage are extending beyond rural areas and hitting denser cities, such as Las Vegas and Detroit. Residents in those cities must wait weeks or months for an appointment or travel hundreds of miles for care, according to the report. In the article, one woman and her family moved from Las Vegas to Phoenix so she could have better access to cancer specialists.
A shortfall of 130,000 physicians is expected within 12 years, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. The number of physician assistants is expected to rise by an additional 108,000 by 2020, which will ease some effects of the shortage, but PAs still can't replace specialists.
Since physicians tend to practice near where they trained, states like Nevada and Idaho may be hit the hardest — they don't have large medical schools or training hospitals.
One physician cited in the report specialized in children's digestive disorders. It generally takes two months for an appointment with him during one of his 13-hour workdays, as he is only one of six specialists of his kind in Nevada. Comparatively, it takes about a week to see one of Cleveland Clinic's 10 pediatric gastroenterologists, according to the report.
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Not all Hospital Leaders Yet to Feel Physician ShortageStudy: Physician Shortage Dire for 7 Specialties in Massachusetts
U.S. Physician Shortage to Reach 130,000