By Brandon M. Welch

In an era when too few physicians are available to treat too many patients, telehealth is there to help bridge the gap and alleviate the doctor shortage.

But for virtual care to have the greatest possible impact, more providers need to realize just how valuable telehealth can be to the profession and to take advantage of it.

And the sooner the better because over the next decade or so, the demand for physicians is expected to continue to outstrip the supply. By 2034 there could be a shortage of between 37,800 and 124,000 physicians, according to a report by the Association of American Medical Colleges.

That’s admittedly quite a range, but regardless of where the actual number falls, it will be significant and needs to be addressed.

The physician shortage is happening for a number of reasons, one of which is the aging population that has a greater need for healthcare. By Jan. 1, 2030, every baby boomer will be 65 or older.

Physicians themselves also are aging and retiring. Some will be replaced by a new generation, but the cost of going to medical school can cause some people in that younger generation to have second thoughts about the profession.

Meanwhile, doctors don’t always live where the people do. About 20% of U.S. residents live in rural areas, but only 10% of doctors do, according to a report by the American Hospital Association.

That leaves those rural communities with limited healthcare options. They don’t have access to the specialists they need, or their local hospital might not have the in-house expertise for urgent care cases like stroke, heart attack, and trauma. Often doctors at those rural hospitals stabilize patients and then send them – sometimes unnecessarily – to a specialist at an urban hospital.

It is in these sorts of situations that telehealth shines, making up for the physician shortage in some areas and eliminating travel for patients.

There have been instances where patients traveled two to four hours from a rural community to an urban hospital, only to learn that their condition was such that a specialist at the urban medical center could have cared for them remotely. In some cases, it turned out that patients didn’t even need the specialist’s care at all. A telehealth call could have revealed that, saving everyone time and trouble.

Telehealth and physician burnout
But telehealth helps with the physician shortage in more ways than putting a doctor on a screen in front of a far-away patient.

It can improve the lives of the doctors themselves.

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