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The panelists, interviewed by City Club CEO Daniel Gibbons, spoke to an audience of local business, civic and health care leaders about the many reasons physicians are leaving the profession, the challenges ahead and what can be done to alleviate shortages.
Artificial intelligence tools could help physicians do their job more efficiently as some allow doctors to automate administrative and other mundane tasks. The idea is to free up physicians for more face time with patients. Green added that many physicians are spending more time in front of computers than in front of patients.
“That reduces the meaning for the people going into medicine,” Green said.
The AMA’s Ehrenfeld offered an example, explaining that artificial intelligence — or augmented intelligence, as he calls it — can help screen patients for certain chronic conditions. Tools like that free up physicians to spend more time treating people who actually have an illness, rather than screening every single patient themselves.
“Technology has to play a critical role as we address the physician workforce shortage,” Ehrenfeld said. “We see these tools as boosting the capabilities of our teams, not replacing them.”
Aside from using technology, health care providers are also more often implementing team-based approaches, ensuring nurses and physician assistants are working to the top of their licenses to support doctors and free up their time for more complex patient needs.
“It’s important for us to not just focus on the physician,” Green said. “It is critical, especially as we think about primary care.”
The nationwide physician shortage has been an issue for at least the last decade, but it was worsened over the last three years as the COVID-19 pandemic pushed many doctors to early retirement. The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates the U.S. will see a shortage of between 37,800 and 124,000 physicians by 2034, including shortfalls in both primary and specialty care.
Contributing to the shortage is the fact that heavy loads of student debt often deter would-be medical students, Ehrenfeld said. The median medical debt topped $200,000, according to the AAMC. And when medical students decide to still pursue medicine, many often opt for a specialty, which often pays more than primary care.
The panelists also warned that the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down Affirmative Action will likely reduce the number of Black, Latino and other underrepresented groups pursuing medical degrees, a reality that could stifle health equity initiatives.
“We need to make sure that everyone is included in health care,” Rocha said. “When you have diversity, it doesn’t hurt. It helps and amplifies everyone.”
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