The aging of rural primary care physicians
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More primary care physicians are retiring in rural America just as the need for care is expanding and fewer medical-school graduates are going into primary care. A federally funded study shows remote counties are likely to feel the impact the worst. Primary care is the foundation of the rural health care workforce. However, a substantial percentage of primary care providers (PCPs) in the United States are approaching retirement age at the same time that fewer new U.S. medical graduates (USMGs) are opting for primary care specialties. Shortages related to retirement will coincide with accelerating demand for health care as the number of Americans aged 65 and older doubles between 2000 and 2030 and additional millions receive health insurance coverage through provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). Click here to read the full article by Meredith Fordyce, Doescher and Skillman.
