This October marks a major milestone for healthcare reform. It's open enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace, when millions of uninsured Americans can start shopping for affordable medical coverage.
Come January 1, the first wave of these newly insured patients will seek out much-needed healthcare. The question is, will there be enough physicians to deliver the care once the coverage takes effect? And what is the medical community doing to prepare for the influx of patients?
Much of the conversation I see around this issue involves either supplementing the existing provider pool with physician extenders or grooming new doctors. I'm not disputing that these are great ideas. The emerging role of pharmacists and advanced-practice professionals to facilitate primary care services is encouraging, as is developing incentive programs to entice future doctors to set up practice in the most impacted areas. But are we doing enough to protect the precious resource of available doctors that we already have?
It seems like every day I read another gloom-and-doom commentary suggesting that doctors are fed up with the bureaucracy coming with healthcare reform and will surely retire early. Let's hope this isn't the case. With hundreds of thousands of baby boomers set to retire in the coming years, including many doctors, we need as many providers as possible to stay in the workforce. We should work harder to entice our existing doctors to keep practicing.
This is where locum tenens comes in. If it's true that many physicians are frustrated and considering early retirement, locum tenens can provide an alternative option. As locum tenens, physicians can escape the bureaucracy and practice on their own terms.
Offering affordable health insurance is only part of the equation. We need to retain as many skilled physicians as possible to meet the growing demand. Locum tenens can be part of the solution.
If you are a physician looking for another way to practice medicine, click here to search locum tenens jobs available in your specialty.Health Insurance Marketplace - What Good is Medical Coverage Without Doctors?
September 25th, 2013 1 Min read
This October marks a major milestone for healthcare reform. It's open enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace, when millions of uninsured Americans can start shopping for affordable medical coverage.
Come January 1, the first wave of these newly insured patients will seek out much-needed healthcare. The question is, will there be enough physicians to deliver the care once the coverage takes effect? And what is the medical community doing to prepare for the influx of patients?
Much of the conversation I see around this issue involves either supplementing the existing provider pool with physician extenders or grooming new doctors. I'm not disputing that these are great ideas. The emerging role of pharmacists and advanced-practice professionals to facilitate primary care services is encouraging, as is developing incentive programs to entice future doctors to set up practice in the most impacted areas. But are we doing enough to protect the precious resource of available doctors that we already have?
It seems like every day I read another gloom-and-doom commentary suggesting that doctors are fed up with the bureaucracy coming with healthcare reform and will surely retire early. Let's hope this isn't the case. With hundreds of thousands of baby boomers set to retire in the coming years, including many doctors, we need as many providers as possible to stay in the workforce. We should work harder to entice our existing doctors to keep practicing.
This is where locum tenens comes in. If it's true that many physicians are frustrated and considering early retirement, locum tenens can provide an alternative option. As locum tenens, physicians can escape the bureaucracy and practice on their own terms.
Offering affordable health insurance is only part of the equation. We need to retain as many skilled physicians as possible to meet the growing demand. Locum tenens can be part of the solution.
If you are a physician looking for another way to practice medicine, click here to search locum tenens jobs available in your specialty.Author
