Physician Shortage May Threaten Healthcare Reform in Massachusetts: Study

Massachusetts continues to experience physician shortages in primary care, psychiatry, and six other specialties that are adversely affecting patient access to care, according to the latest physician workforce study released July 24 by the Massachusetts Medical Society.

The society’s 2007 Physician Workforce Study found physician shortages in primary care (family practice and internal medicine), psychiatry, and vascular surgery for the second consecutive year. The study also found that the most critical scarcity facing community hospitals is primary care physicians: 54 percent of community hospitals report shortages in internal medicine, and 43 percent report shortages in family practice.

“Massachusetts may be leading the nation in healthcare reform,” said B. Dale Magee, MD, president of the society, “but we’re falling behind in a critical aspect of patient care, and that’s the supply of physicians. . . . Adequate physician supply is essential to the success of healthcare reform, and our latest analysis raises a host of concerns.” Read the executive summary.

Source: HFMA News