Doctor Shortage Could Ease As Obamacare Boosts Nurses, Physician Assistants

Though a physician shortage appears inevitable as more Americans get health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, new research indicates new primary care models using nurse practitioners and physician assistants could “eliminate” the scarcity of primary-care doctors.

Researchers at the nonprofit research organization RAND Corp. say an expansion of patient-centered medical homes and “nurse-managed” health centers  “could help eliminate 50 percent or more of the primary care physician shortage” in the U.S. by 2025.

“Projections suggest that if nothing changes in the delivery of primary care, the United States may face a substantial shortage of primary care physicians and surpluses of nurse practitioners and physician assistants by 2025,” researchers wrote. “Yet plausible shifts in primary care delivery models substantially affect those projections. Read more.