Healthcare is in crisis in many countries, not least of which is the United States. We hear on the news how health care providers are incapable of providing medical care to an increasingly number of chronically ill and the aging population. There are a number of systemic failures; however, none is more fundamental and difficult to correct than the basic lack of human resources. There are simply not enough physicians to service the population's needs. The problem is intensified in rural areas, where specialized physicians may not be found within several hundred miles. What is needed is a way to do more with less and stretch a limited amount of resources to work more efficiently.
Many people living in rural America have inadequate access to medical care. It has been over 20 years since a physician has practiced in Armstrong County, Texas. The nearest counties, Carson County or Briscoe County, have no practicing physician either. In rural counties all over the United States it is easier to check out a book at the library or rent a video from the local store than it is to find a doctor who can provide medical treatment. "In Texas, there is a shortage of physicians, 70 percent of patients cannot obtain a same-day visit with their primary doctor, and 79 percent of emergency room visits are for routine problems ". (New York Times, 2009). What is sad is these are not the only areas that do not have physicians. In Idaho, it has been reported that they have the fewest doctors per capita in the U.S. .
The current shortage of physicians is predicted to get worse as the number of persons over the age of 65 increases. In spite of the numerous programs created to recruit and retain physicians in rural communities, physician shortages continue to threaten health care delivery in rural communities across the United States (American Journal of Public Health, 2004). The United States will face a shortage of approximately 150,000 physicians in the next fifteen years.
