"America's healthcare system is straining under the twin pressures of an aging population and a stretched pool of healthcare providers. Doctors told Fortune that policies limiting skilled visas and student entries could deepen labor shortages in areas such as geriatrics and rural medicine, where immigrant staff have long filled gaps. Physicians urge clearer pathways for skilled workers to stay, warning that without them, the system's capacity to care for older Americans may falter."
"Instead of meeting and treating as many patients as he can, his hours are often clogged with referrals to geriatric specialists which are increasingly hard to find. So too are psychiatrists, with Dr Moreas often providing the support himself, as well as endocrinologists who have expertise in hormonal imbalances such as diabetes and osteoporosis, as well as rheumatologists who specialize in autoimmune conditions like arthritis."
An aging U.S. population is increasing demand for medical specialties such as geriatrics, psychiatry, endocrinology, rheumatology and nephrology while the pool of healthcare providers is shrinking. Policies limiting skilled visas and student entries reduce the number of immigrant clinicians who historically filled gaps in geriatrics and rural medicine. Primary care physicians are spending more time coordinating referrals and providing specialty care when specialists are unavailable. Shortages of home care workers force discharged patients back into outpatient clinics, adding hours to physician workloads. Accelerated retirements among physicians exacerbate capacity strains. Clearer pathways for skilled workers could alleviate shortages; policy changes may follow shifting public priorities.
Read at Fortune
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