The United States is experiencing a physician shortage that is even more dire in rural areas. The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates that today there is a shortage of from 44,000 doctors to perhaps as high as 67,000 physicians. By 2034 the shortage is expected to range from 37,800 physicians to as much as 124,000 physicians. The supply of physicians is a function of those entering the profession, those in the profession, minus those retiring or slowing down. Keep in mind the youngest physicians entering the field are usually 30 years old or more. Thus, there is only a 30-year window for them to establish a practice before reaching retirement age. A significant proportion of licensed physicians (45%) are over age 55. Many are part of the Baby Boomer generation who will be retiring soon and become patients themselves rather than treating patients.
Category: Health Reform
Remote Mental Health Therapy with Electronic Health Records Goes High Tech
The other day I was surfing the web when I ran across an advertisement for TherapyNotes, a mental health electronic health record (EHR) system. I was a little curious. TherapyNotes lets counselors schedule an appointment and allows their clients to book through a client portal. Counselors can meet with clients in person or remotely with secure telehealth sessions. Then TherapyNotes facilitates documenting the session with easy‑to‑use templates. Finally, TherapyNotes creates and submits insurance claims with just a few clicks.
Congressional Investigation Found FDA Drug Approval ‘Rife with Irregularities’
There is considerable debate about whether plaque causes Alzheimer’s disease or is a byproduct of Alzheimer’s. One of the original studies that supposedly nudged scientists down the path of plaque atrophy theory has now been accused of using doctored photos to bolster their case.
Friday Links
- The federal government approved about $5 trillion in total pandemic relief money; the amount lost to fraud could reach the $250 billion to $560 billion range.
- At-home, rapid antigen tests that let you test for COVID, Influenza, and RSV all at once are widely available in Europe. But you can’t have one because they have not been approved by the FDA.
- Small rural hospitals got pummeled by the pandemic in 2022.
- Not only did the members of Congress not read the $1.7 trillion omnibus bill, more than half didn’t even show up to vote. They voted by proxy.
- Pharma study: pharmacy benefit managers and health insurers are ripping off patients. Why didn’t they release this before the election?