America will lose an estimated 46,000 primary care physicians by 2025, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). This has created a perfect storm stemming from three factors:
1) Rising cost of US medical school tuition, ($156,456 in 2009 according to the American Medical Association). Hence, debt-saddled graduates are financially bound to more lucrative careers as specialists.
2) The first crest of Baby Boomers is reaching retirement age – increasing doctor demand and further straining these thin resources. According to the American Academy of Anti Aging, Baby Boomers accounted for 26.1% of the US population in 2006.
3) Healthcare reform will soon insure 32 million previously uninsured Americans.
Scary statistics indeed, however, as with all business, times of great challenge stimulate innovation. Some trends indicate a rise of: nurse practitioners, telemedicine, walk-in clinics, global and domestic healthcare. One such example of filling in the gaps through global healthcare is the Executive Wellness Screen/Executive Wellness Exam, originally designed for busy executive as an efficient über-physical with a host of diagnostic tests such as an electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) and bioscans. Other trends are emerging…stay tuned!