Health Professional Shortage – Finding Physicians for Rural America
Healthcare shortages exist around the world throughout every category of health professional, however, Rural America is uniquely affected. Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), a metric defined by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, are 70% rural with multiple studies projecting a sustained increase in shortages. Rural Hospitals, specifically their always-available Emergency Departments, sustain their communities when other options are not available. The strain is clear, 10% of rural hospitals closed between 2010 and 2021. Government agencies have studied the problem in-depth, often leading to proposed public sector programs, which in turn lead to public debates. With exceptional experience overcoming these challenges, STATUS offers immediate solutions; supporting community health with physicians and other healthcare professionals as well as reimbursement tools.
Physician Scarcity
The general shortage of physicians has multiple, well-studied causes. Physicians cannot be produced quickly, requiring years of education, training, and debt while increased administrative workload creates the perception that being a doctor is more paperwork than patient care. Malpractice suits can destroy a physician’s life and livelihood. Stress, burnout, and work/life balance are serious threats to physician longevity. These issues already discouraged would-be physicians, then came pandemic losses. Estimates of physicians voluntarily leaving practice vary greatly, but a study published in JAMA (2023) shows physician pandemic deaths rose by 16%. Additionally, baby boomer physicians will begin retiring soon, further diminishing a scarce workforce.
Attracting Physicians to Non-Urban Practice is Difficult
The already scarce supply of health professionals is still more difficult for rural medical centers to access. Metropolitan areas are able to provide higher wages, entertainment, and other amenities to attract top talent. The proximity of so many medical facilities in cities also gives physicians schedule flexibility smaller towns are unable to compete with alone. As a result, most healthcare professionals will never live outside of metropolitan areas. Hospitals, being oriented towards providing medical care rather than recruiting, are not equipped to overcome these challenges alone. Locum Tenens companies can help, but without consideration for sustainability, inflating market values. These difficulties leave Community Hospitals in HPSAs and at risk of closure.
Dedicated, Agile, Connected – STATUS Is A Proven Partner
STATUS Health Partners has been connecting healthcare professionals and facilities since 1989. We are dedicated to providing solutions that support our facility partners and satisfy the needs of the healthcare professionals we engage.
Our strategy is based on a deep understanding of our partners’ needs and the data and infrastructure necessary to engage physicians around the country. STATUS is uniquely positioned as an independent, physician-owned firm that connects with facilities as genuine partners, while also having sufficient resources to develop and maintain sophisticated systems for physician engagement. We prioritize physicians living in or near the communities we serve when possible, as well as engage metropolitan physicians, international medical graduates, and other healthcare professionals to overcome shortages. Many physicians would not otherwise be accessible to our partners just as many of the physicians we work with might not have had the opportunity to experience rural emergency medicine without our efforts. The ability to reach physicians is not enough. STATUS combines the opportunities of our partners to provide physicians with scheduling flexibility, stability, compensation, workload, and career development that is competitive with metropolitan practice. A benefit otherwise unavailable to independent facilities.
Patients deserve access to compassionate care they trust, facilities need reliable physicians and the patronage of their community. Locum Tenens and other staffing agencies prioritize profits and physician availability over quality patient care and hospital interests. In contrast, STATUS’ staffing model is aimed at sustainability and quality care. A sophisticated approach to credentialing and quality control ensures that providers are qualified and the malpractice risks are mitigated. A detailed explanation is outlined in our case study on the subject. These same teams provide additional benefits: assisting physicians in the maintenance of their credentials and minimizing paperwork, as well as providing peer-insight to ensure standard of care and professionalism.
Even a robust roster of Emergency Medicine providers requires management. Physicians must be scheduled, balancing availability, preference, travel and related arrangements must be made, all while controlling cost. Our Practice Coordination team handles these and other tasks as part of our completely managed service, allowing administration to prioritize other tasks.
In addition to physician staffing, STATUS provides additional services to support our partners:
- Medical Directors
- Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant staffing
- Reimbursement Tools
- Billing & Coding Consultation
- ACUTEreportER – Physician Standby Time Reporting
Community Hospitals need support to remain open, independent, and financially stable through current shortages and other challenges. STATUS is dedicated to developing robust solutions to enable our partners to achieve these goals.
References
American Hospital Association – Rural hospital closures threaten patient access to care 2022
Bureau of Health Workforce – Designated HPSA Quarterly Summary
https://data.hrsa.gov/Default/GenerateHPSAQuarterlyReport
Bureau of Health Workforce – HRSA Data Warehouse
Kiang MV, Carlasare LE, Thadaney Israni S, Norcini JJ, Zaman JAB, Bibbins-Domingo K. – Excess Mortality Among US Physicians During the COVID-19 Pandemic. JAMA Intern Med. 2023
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2800889