Examining Detrimental Effects Of U.S. Doctor Shortage

Across the U.S. patients are struggling to find primary physicians including pediatricians as a doctor shortage seems to persist. NBC News’ Niala Charles reports on the significant impact of the worsening crisis.
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#NBCNews #Doctor #Shortage

[@drjackburke]

I've been a primary care physician for just over twenty years. Doctors are data entry specialists. The art of medicine is dying.

[@iniohos2]

AI will take over, no problem

[@AmericanFUBAR33]

I practiced in the US for 12 years as a pcp. Primary care is going down the tubes and there is NO DOCTOR SHORTAGE. The US has a distribution of doctors problem not a shortage problem. I am opening a new Primary care practice in Canada and here they seriously has a real doctor shortage.

[@nikkig2000]

Congratulations on opening your new practice!

[@kingrobotnik6950]

I don’t know chief. Not seeing many people strive to be the next doctor…

[@AmericanFUBAR33]

@@kingrobotnik6950 Where do you live? That's the key.

[@tricial9779]

I graduated medical school in 2018 but can’t find a residency.

[@gamerhistorian7843]

Enlist into the military, they need you...

[@nikkig2000]

Wow! That’s insane. Have you been willing to relocate? Emory University Hospital in Atlanta has residents at about 6 to 10 different hospitals throughout the city.

[@abcdefghi9]

Are you from America?

[@montanagal6958]

Why would anyone spend all that money and time in med school only to be dictated by insurance companies and hospitals how to treat for profit not health? There is no doctor or nursing shortage, no one wants to work under the current system.

[@January.]

*There's a shortage of people who can afford health insurance.*

[@cypresswyvern]

Exactly, state insurance is horrible. Human experiment conditions.

[@montanagal6958]

@@cypresswyvern they literally let you die

[@EWS-sy3hr]

Increasing demands on doctors from non-patient care activities is driving highly skilled experienced physicians out of the business on the latter part of their careers. Licensing boards, state boards, hospital boards and insurance companies have required recertification every 10 years, increasing monthly maintenance of certification computer work for hours each month, continuing medical education seminars. Buffing computer charting to avoid rejection of claims by insurance companies and audits by the government leave little time for physicians to take on new patients. The hassles, hours, intrusion, threat of lawsuits, and costs have taken away the joy of practice of medicine. Most physicians don’t chose medicine to make money - it isn’t worth it. Now most want enough money to retire….

[@twin2302]

I am an ER doctor and all this is sooo true. Especially the last part

[@twinb1954]

Unfortunately, lives are going to be lost because of the shortage of primary care physicians and Physician Assistants. It took my husband and I almost a year to find a primary care provider and then she left the group at the end of December 2023. It’s also hard to find specialists and the wait time to see certain doctors can be 6 months to a year. It’s really scary - especially when you are on Medicare and you have multiple health conditions!

[@rubberdog8763]

Patients have been fractalized and algorithmized into little more than a product with the sole purpose of generating codes for billing, etc., & where patients needs are based on payment ability &/or insurance reimbursements - not patient need.

[@mdmarzan2651]

Sometime it's diffcult to enter Residency program which is prerquisite for practice for an International Medical Graduate after passing USMLE exam and ECFMG certification. Definitely there is shortage of residency program positions . Extra requirements (Year of graduation restriction, Research, Publications) need for residency application must be stopped because they want to be PCP not scientist.

[@RL-ue4dz]

As an fmg who wants to practice in the US, I agree. Its a win win for both fmgs and America.

[@marting6015]

they should limit IMGs to only family medicine or primary care.

[@nicholastorres3381]

I’ve been without a primary doctor for 15 years, Americans healthcare is terrible!

[@ElSantoLuchador]

I'm bipolar and I'm on medicaid and I can't find a physician within a hundred mile radius. I can't find a shrink that will take medicaid anywhere in the state. Physicians and private clinics rarely take medicaid patients because they feel the reimbursement isn't high enough. If you're wondering why people on medicaid show up at the ER for their primary care, that's why. That makes the system 10 times more expensive than it has to be just to get a refill on the same medications I've been taking for 7 years.

[@isocarboxazid]

We "feel" the reimbursement isn't high enough? The reimbursement ACTUALLY isn't high enough. I worked with Medicaid patients for almost 10 years, the pay is literally half or less commercial insurances, and a third of private pay rates. I won't accept Medicaid or Medicare in my private practice, it's stupid to work twice as hard for much less money, I'm a human with my own serious health problems. The US governments need to get it together and pay reasonable rates, without threats of payment cuts every 2 years!

[@karenmonson9893]

I think insurance companies have alot to do with the problems especially the HMO's with their unrealistic requirements. You can still get bad care from a nurse practitioner or PA. I've experienced both from a PA and nurse practitioner. As a result I don't do any medical care unless it's absolutely necessarily or a life and death situation. I stopped doing preventive care when I no longer needed HRT. It's a waste of time and resources. I'm quite distrutful of the medical community as a whole.

[@jeremyfield4148]

After receiving a $375 bill with insurance for 30 minutes with my doctor to tell me I can keep taking my meds and sitting at a computer I will not go back into the doctor unless I loose a limb

[@louisethomas8074]

The lady with the “breathing problem “ seriously needs to look into vocal cord dysfunction. No need for a doctor. You need a speech therapist who is trained to treat vocal cord dysfunction. It’s really quite easy once you realize that’s what’s going on

[@USSHammerology]

I quit right after I paid off my mortgages and paid off my vehicles . Now deliver pizza. Life is beautiful now! Good bye stress.

[@kindofawizard8681]

There is no doctor or nurse shortage in the US, they just decide to take their degrees elsewhere to countries that actually value them rather than treat them like tax and data collectors. The same reasons apply to someone like me who hasn't been to a doctor in 12 years. Funniest part is i have the best insurance provided through the same job i've held in those twelve years in my small little southwest town, i could go, i just don't trust them.

[@umarsulaiman9456]

Just like yesterday everything is felling into place❤️with the help of Dr emuakhe our community is safe once again,our kids don't have to fear HIV aids, Herpes, HPV, tumor and other sickness any more.We appreciate your efforts in curing most deathly disease, keep up the good work sir................

[@trojanusc2376]

PCP? Back peddling. Pcp practice used to be family business. MD debt 300k, years of schooling to become PCP is not aspirational. What happened to NP mid level push; cure all.

[@louisethomas8074]

Healthcare is now corporate care. Assembly line patients increase profits for the higher ups

[@juliecasio5606]

Out on me please tell them

[@sallymartinez1521]

*I'm done sitting tight for the award advance since i acquire$23,000 every 12 days of my investment.*

[@wendyegli2264]

His trading income stream is mind blowing, I also trade with him . I've made $62,000 so far trading with his guidance/advice .

[@Cyber__Tech3]

I have also been hearing a lot about his goodness and perfection in trading Cryptocurrencies with awesome trading

[@teresasmith4145]

I think👀👀, they should pay the public to finnñd a doctor🐣💃

[@myownboss1]

This is likely why the state of CA will allow nurse practitioners to practice on their own and independent of a doctors oversight in 2023!!!!

[@judithsullivan9703]

finally😉

[@gilberth6697]

keep dreaming lol, you think a nurse practitioner will have the money to hire receptionist, biller, MA, other nurses, pay rent, malpractice, licensing bill etc when a doctor barely can? Stupidity run amuck is what it is

[@waverider6133]

What a horror.

[@MrPathorock]

and they will drive down the price for pcp further

[@richyp64]

How SADS. I know several doctors who quit the practice because they refused the quadruple you know what.

[@judithsullivan9703]

This is disgraceful. To talk about a doctor shortage when there are an abundance of nurse practitioners who do primary care so much better than the positions that run offices double booking patients and giving them 10 minutes a piece open your minds Physicians are not the be-all and end-all of everything.

[@January.]

*is an abundance of...

[@lindagorchinsky8770]

Your statement has much credit..A nurse practitioner does provide excellent care, HOWEVER, it is your legal right to research this nurse practitioners experience. Working in a hectic cardiac receiving trauma, a nurse practitioner MUST know triage skills.!

[@judithsullivan9703]

@@January. are......it modified nurse practitioners.

[@judithsullivan9703]

@@lindagorchinsky8770 I worked in Alaskan Villages as the only provider for many miles. She must have many many skills.....😉

[@January.]

@@judithsullivan9703 abundance = *a* very large quantity of something , *an* ample quantity Look it up in a *dictionary* .