About the Shortage of Primary Care Physicians

Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, Dr. Rex Mahnensmith serves StayWell Health Center as an internal medicine physician. Over the past 30 years, the majority of Dr. Rex Mahnensmith’s career has been in primary care.

One of the most pressing barriers to Americans’ access to improved health is the shortage of primary care physicians. As the population grows and ages, the crisis is expected to grow direr over the next decade. Primary care physicians are in demand particularly because their services help to decrease the incidence of heart failure and coronary heart disease, improve rates of early detection of cancers, and prevent certain diseases through vaccination.

Primary care physicians will account for 40 percent of physician vacancies in the coming years. As reported in 2017 by the Association of American Medical Colleges, by 2030 the US will experience a deficit of close to 105,00 physicians, 43,000 of which are primary care physicians.

Several factors contribute to the shortage of primary care physicians. One is the coming retirement wave of older primary care physicians. Other factors include the increasing number of medical residents seeking specialties other than primary care, the growing number of older Americans who use more health care services, and the expanding population.