It Takes a Village

By Kathryn R. Reed, MHA, CMPE, Executive Director, Catskill Hudson AHEC

Over the past decade, there has been a decline in the number of physicians choosing primary care (family practice, general internal medicine and general pediatrics) as a specialty.  The cost of medical school is a major factor in this crisis in addition to quality of life issues and income generating potential.

Medical students graduate from school with an average of $150,000.00 to $200,000.00 of debt and are choosing more lucrative specialties rather than family care.  In addition, the hours of work in primary care are the highest among all specialties. 

There is a possible solution to the financial issue but it will not occur overnight.  Included in the Obama administration federal stimulus plan is money to assist primary care physicians, nurse practitioners and dentists with education expenses in an effort to increase the number of these providers.

These issues support the focus of HealthMatch on the importance of community involvement and investment in recruitment of healthcare providers, particularly in rural areas of New York State and the nation.  Offering incentive pools to be used towards loan repayment is a common practice but can no longer be solely supported by hospitals and health care organizations.  Developing these incentives at a community level and leveraging them with other funding sources, provides a community in need a competitive edge in the battle of recruitment from a limited pool of candidates.