weight loss and primary care physicians

Yesterday on the front page of the USA Today was an article about the impending shoprtage of primary care physicians in America. Primary care doctors include internal medicine, family practice and pediatric physicians. OB/GYN docs are also under this category.

Residency programs are having major difficulty filling their primary care positions and there is currently a shortage of primary care docs and the projections for the future are dire. When the bulk of the baby boomer generation (those born from 1948-1964) start reaching 65 years old and greater, there will be a major shortage of promary care physicians to meet their needs.

Why is this happening? The answer is simple: $$$$$$. The average income for a primary care doctor is 120-190K (hey, that is still lots of money) compared to a neurosurgeon, whose average salary is above 500K. When in medical school, accumulating lots of loan money to pay off, the decision for a residency program is pretty simple: work your ass off as a primary care doctor for much lower wages or choose a procedure-oriented specialty and make lots more $$$. Throw on top of this health care reform initiatives that will further erode the income of promary care physicians and the problem will only worsen.

What does this have to do with America's obesity epidemic? Well, the less primary care doctors the less preventative services. People will have difficulty finding a primary care physician to address their immediate medical problems no less find a doctor willing to take the time to discuss preventative issues such as weight loss. This all adds up to major problems ahead.

If you remember the name "Marcus Welby, M.D.", you are old enough to remember the days in which your family doctor was someone who was an important part of your family's total health picture. Now this generation only knows from Greys Anatomy and House....

Yes, my friends, I guess good old doctor Posner is going to be a dinosaur soon...a gray haired primary care doctor.....but....I still love what I do so you are stuck with me for a long time!