Doctor shortage worsening means more jobs for doctors on temporary employment, but it can be trouble ahead for patients seeking medical professionals as more Americans get health benefits under the ACT to care affordable.
As health reform is implemented in the next two years, millions of Americans with a transition period, the request is expected to flood medical care physician offices, clinics and hospitals as they gain health care coverage by 2014.
The other side of the nation’s worsening shortage of doctors can be seen in recent reports of the care staff, Irving, Texas-based physician staffing company and subsidiary of AMN Healthcare (AHS). The company says the medical groups and hospitals are not able to find enough doctors they need permanent and shift more and more to what the industry calls “Pastor tenens” physician.
“In a down economy, people are not seeing doctors unless they have to, either to avoid any deductibles or because they are not insured-and still no doctor is enough to go around,” said staff care President Sean Ebner.
There are also some doctors to fill all available Vacancies, said Ebner. The company, the nation’s largest physician staffing company, said a number of temporary “full day” for its clients rose to 183,252 last year from 181,834 in 2010 even in the period in which hospitals and health facilities suffered cuts in government health insurance program that pays them.