Americans are facing unprecedented wait times to see their doctors. This pressure is particularly acute in primary care, but it is also felt in specialties such as neurology, psychiatry, and obstetrics/gynecology.
According to the American Medical Association (AMA), here are the main reasons why it is harder than ever to be seen by a healthcare provider:
1. Lack of doctors. With the U.S. population growing and aging, the need for doctors continues to rise. However, according to the American Association of Medical Colleges, the physician shortage is expected to reach 86,000 by 2036.
2. A broken Medicare system. With an aging population and more Medicare patients on the horizon, the Medicare system needs significant reform. Today, Medicare pays doctors nearly 30% less than it did in 2001, adjusted for inflation. Thus, while the indirect costs of managing a practice—equipment, office space, staff salaries—have skyrocketed, payment for caring for Medicare patients has dramatically decreased, making practice management extremely challenging.
“Doctors have borne the burden of a broken Medicare payment system for too long. Especially in small independent practices and in rural and underserved areas, doctors have been forced to cut costs, eliminate staff, or limit the number of Medicare patients they see,” says Bruce A. Scott, M.D., president of the AMA. “These are measures we take simply to keep the doors open and the lights on. But unfortunately, due to this dysfunction, all patients—not just Medicare patients—are at risk when our flawed and outdated payment system forces doctors to close their practices.”
3. Administrative burdens. Growing bureaucracy and administrative barriers, such as prior authorization, consume significant time from doctors. Today, doctors spend an average of two hours on paperwork for every hour spent with patients.
4. Delays and burnout. One of the definitive legacies of COVID-19 is a backlog of services and tests postponed during the pandemic, now offered by fewer providers. Two in three doctors admitted to experiencing burnout during the pandemic, according to a survey by the AMA, Mayo Clinic, and Stanford Medicine. This is the highest level of burnout ever recorded by the AMA. One in five doctors surveyed during the pandemic said they planned to leave medicine in the next two years, while one in three said they would reduce their hours.
While there is indeed a crisis in medical care, the AMA states that there are solutions to address the problem. These include:
• Fixing the broken Medicare payment system. The Medicare Payment Advisory Committee has called for linking physician payments to the Medicare Economic Index, which would ensure that rising practice costs do not continue to burden what Medicare pays.
• Adding voices to the chorus of patients and doctors calling for reform. Those concerned about this issue and ongoing access to their doctor can visit FixMedicareNow.org.
“It is imperative that we take action as a country to help all patients receive the high-quality care they need and to ensure that doctors can continue to provide it,” says Dr. Scott.
Source: State Point