Becker's Hospital Review

48 CMO / CARE DELIVERY Americans are living longer — But we may not have enough physicians By Kelly Gooch T he U.S. could face a shortage of nearly 122,000 physicians by 2032, accord- ing to data from the Association of American Medical Colleges. "e nation's population is growing and ag- ing, and as we continue to address popula- tion health goals like reducing obesity and tobacco use, more Americans will live longer lives. ese factors and others mean we will need more doctors," said AAMC President and CEO Darrell G. Kirch, MD, in a news release. "Even with new ways of delivering care, America's doctor shortage continues to remain real and significant." e new data is part of a fih annu- al study conducted by the life sciences di- vision of IHS Markit, a global information company, and includes insights on changes expected in the physician workforce by 2032. Seven takeaways from the study: 1. e projected shortfall for 2032 ranges from 46,900 to 121,900 physicians and is similar to the projected shortfall for 2030 of 44,900 to 121,300 physicians, according to the report. 2. e 2018 study's projected shortfall in- cludes primary care physicians (between 21,100 and 55,200) and specialty care physi- cians (between 24,800 and 65,800). 3. e projected shortfall for 2032 comes as demand growth for physicians continues to outpace supply growth, according to the study. 4. Association officials said the primary driver of increasing demand for physicians through 2032 is still demographics — particularly, population growth and aging. 5. Achieving population health goals — such as reducing excess body weight and reducing smoking — will increase demand for physi- cians in the long term, according to the study. "Although prevention efforts likely will reduce demand for some specialties, like endocrinol- ogy, demand for other specialties, like geriatric medicine, will increase," AAMC added. 6. Regarding supply, IHS Markit analyzed American Medical Association data and found that more than two out of five current- ly active physicians will be 65 or older within 10 years, and changes in physician retirement decisions could affect supply the most. 7. e AAMC, along with more than 70 healthcare stakeholders, is backing legisla- tion that would help address the national phy- sician workforce shortage by adding 15,000 Medicare-supported residency positions between 2021 and 2025. n Assault on healthcare workers could be felony under new Massachusetts bill By Mackenzie Bean M assachusetts lawmakers are reviewing a bill that would elevate assaults on healthcare providers from a misdemeanor to a felony offense, reported MassLive. Three things to know: 1. The bill would make any attack on clinicians, emergency medical technicians or ambulance attendants a felony punish- able by up to five years in prison. 2. At present, these types of attacks are classified as misdemean- ors, which means police must witness the incident to make an arrest. Otherwise, nurses must attend a "show cause" hearing before a clerk magistrate, who decides whether to file charges. 3. Erin Johnson, BSN, RN, a nurse at Holyoke, Mass.-based Provi- dence Behavioral Health Hospital, said the current legal process often discourages healthcare workers from pursuing charges. "Why should a nurse who has already been the victim of vio- lence and all that entails take his or her own personal time to pursue charges against an assailant who at the end of the day will face no real consequences for his or her actions?" she told lawmakers during a public hearing April 30. n CHI Franciscan hospital fined after patient attacks nurses By Mackenzie Bean S tate officials on April 11 cited CHI Francis- can Health's St. Joseph Medical Center in Ta- coma, Wash., over workplace safety issues, reported KIRO 7. The Washington State Department of Labor & Indus- tries' division of occupational safety and health fined the hospital $14,400 over a series of patient attacks on nurses in the hospital's psychiatric unit, according to case records cited by KIRO 7. The state found five violations by St. Joseph Medical Center involving the hospital's safety committee and its investigation into the incidents. Cary Evans, vice president of communications and government affairs for Tacoma-based CHI Franciscan, shared the following statement with KIRO 7: "The safety of our patients and employees is our high- est priority every day. The recent report by the Depart- ment of Labor identifies only procedural issues for re- view committees, and we are already in the process of addressing the structure of our safety committee to meet those concerns." n

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