BALANCE
BALANCE -- IDAHO'S DOCTOR SHORTAGE. A LOCAL PHYSICIAN IS
SOUNDING THE ALARM
ABOUT THE ISSUE --
SAYING THE HEALTH AND
WELL-BEING OF OUR
RURAL FAMILIES ARE
ESPECIALLY AT RISK.
IDAHO RANKS SECOND TO
LAST IN THE NATION
WHEN IT COMES TO THE
NUMBER OF PHYSICIANS
PER CAPITA IN OUR STATE.
1.7 DOCTORS FOR EV+@ERY
1,000 IDAHOANS --
+@
1.7 DOCTORS FOR EV+@ERY 1,000 IDAHOANS -- ACCORDING +@TO ONE
REPORT.
IT'S EASY NOT TO CARE SO
MUCH ABOUT THE ISSUE IF
YOU LIVE IN SAY BOISE,
MERIDIAN OR NAMPA.
IDAHO'S LARGER CITIES
WILL ALWAYS BE ABLE TO
ATTRACT ENOUGH
PHYSICIANS.
BUT IT'S A DIFFERENT
STORY FOR RURAL IDAHO.
+@
+@
"OKAY
"OKAY A
"OKAY A FEW DEEP BREATHS FOR ME..." DR. LOUIE BARTOLETTI
EXAMINES A PATIENT AT
FAMILY
FAMILY MEDICAL RESIDENCY OF IDAHO. ORIGINALLY FROM
MONTANA, BARTOLETTI
CHOSE BOISE TO
COMPLETE HIS MEDICAL
RESIDENCY.
RESIDENCIES +@CO+@ME AFTER
MEDICAL SCHOOL .. 3 TO
5
5 YEARS
5 YEARS OF ADDITIONAL TRAINI+@NG WORKING ALONGSIDE ATTENDING
PHYSICIANS.
PHYSICIANS.
THIS
THIS IS
THIS IS WHERE IDAHO FALLS BEHIND -- WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH
MEDICAL RESIDENCY
PROGRAMS.
"SO WE FIND OURSELVES
IN A HOLE RIGHT NOW IN
2018 PLAYING CATCH UP
BALL," SAID DR. TED
EPPERLY.
DR. TED EPPERLY WAS
APPOINTED BY GOVERNOR
OTTER TO TRANSFORM
HEALTH CARE FOR THE
STATE OF IDAHO. EP+@PERLY
SAYS MEDICAL
RESIDENCIES ARE CRUCIAL
+@TO GROWING THE STATE'S
PHYSICIAN WORKFORCE.
HERE'S WHY:
+@
+@
DATA
DATA SHOWS 50 TO 75% OF PHYSICIANS WILL STAY WITHIN 100 MILES OF
WHERE THEY DO THEIR
RESIDENCY PROGRAM,
NOT NECESSARILY WHERE
THEY GO TO MEDICAL
SCHOOL. THE MORE
RESIDENCIES, THE MORE
WE START TO POPULATE
OUR PHYSICIAN
WORKFORCE.
"WHAT TENDS TO
HAPPEN IN THAT THREE
YEARS IS THE PHYSICIAN
GETS TO KNOW THE
COMMUNITY, HIS OR HER
PARTNERS. THE SPOUSE
OR SIGNIFICANT OTHER OF
THE PHYSICIAN FINDS A
PLACE FOR KIDS TO GO TO
SCHOOL, PERHAPS FINDS
A CHURCH, FINDS A JOB
IN THE COMMUNITY AND
THAT WHOLE
CULTURATION PROCESS
HAPPENS," SAID EPPERLY.
EPPERLY BELIEVES
RESIDENCIES ARE EVEN
MORE ESSENTIAL FOR
RURAL IDAHO, WHERE
ATTRACTING PHYSICIANS
OUTSIDE THE STATE ISN'T
ALWAYS EASY.
ALWAYS EASY.
IN
IN THE
IN THE TOWN OF SHOSHONE, IN LINCOLN COUNTY - WHICH IS
ROUGHLY THE SIZE OF
RHODE ISLAND -- THERE IS
ONLY ONE FAMILY
DOCTOR, DR. KEITH DAVIS.
"IF HE STOPS AND WE
DON'T GET A RECRUIT
THERE, THEN WE'RE
LOOKING AT P+@ATIENTS
DRIVING FOR 50 TO 100
MILES TO SEE TH+@E NEXT
PHYSICIAN," SAID EPPERLY. "SO IT'S A PERFECT EXAMPLE AND THERE ARE
MANY LIKE THAT ACROSS
THE STATE OF IDAHO
WHERE WE HAVE LIMITED
NUMBERS OF PHYSICIANS,"
SAID EPPERLY.
EPPERLY SAYS DR. DAVIS IS
ALSO AN EXAMPLE OF THE
OTHER PART OF THE
DOCTOR SHORTAGE
EQUATION -- 27% OF
IDAHO'S EXISTING
PHYSICIANS ARE OLDER
THAN AGE 60.
"27% OF IDAHO'S
EXISTING PHYSICIANS ARE
OLDER THAN AGE 60. SO
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE
RETIREMENTS HAPPEN IN
THE
THE NEXT
THE NEXT 3 TO 7 YEARS AT THE SAME TIM+@E WE HAVE A STATE THAT'S GROWING ...
... "SO IT'S CRITICALLY
IMPORTANT THAT THE
IDAHO LEGISLATURE, THE
STATE BOARD OF
EDUCATION ACTS ON THIS
+@
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION ACTS ON THIS AT THIS TIME TO START TO
RIGHT THIS," SAID EPPERLY.
EPPERLY PRESENTED A
PLAN TO STATE
LAWMAKERS LAST WEEK
THAT WOULD GROW
MEDICAL RESIDENCY
PROGRAMS IN THE STATE
OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS
-- FROM THE 9 PROGRAMS
UP
UP TO
UP TO 21,
UP TO 21, MORE THA+@N DOUBLING THE NUMBER OF RESIDENT GRADUATES
EACH YEAR. BUT AS WITH
MOST NEEDS IN THE
STATE, THE SOLUTION
REQUIRES FUNDING.
"THE EARLY PART OF THE
PIPELINE, THE MEDICAL
SCHOOL,
SCHOOL, THE LEGISLATURE INVESTED IN, BUT THE LATTER PART OF THE
PIPELINE, THE SPRINKLER
SYSTEM,
SYSTEM, TO PUT THESE GRADUATES IN THE STATE WAS NOT INVESTED IN,"
SAID EPPERLY.
EPPERLY BELIEVES THE
HEAL+@TH OF OUR STATE IS
AT RISK IF WE DON'T ACT.
"IF WE DON'T HAVE
CORRECT NUMBER OF
PHYSICIANS TO CARE FOR
THEM THEY WILL HAVE
PROBLEMS WITH TIMELY
+@ACCESS TO APPROPRIATE
CARE. WHEN THAT STARTS
TO HAPPEN -- THEY LIVE
SICKER AND THEY DIE
YOUNGER," SAID EPPERLY.
AS WE MENTIONED AT
THE TOP OF THE HOUR --
GOVERNOR OTTER SAYS
HE WILL OFFER LIMITED
SUPPORT FOR EPPERLY'S
10 YEAR PLAN.
OTTER SAYS HE WANTS AN
INDEPENDENT REVIEW TO
ENSURE THE PROGRAM
WILL HAVE THE PROMISED
IMPA+@CT BEFORE
DEDICATING LIMITED
STATE FUNDS.
BUT IT'S INTERESTING --
DR. EPPERLY BELIEVES
IDAHO IS ALREADY THE
LARGEST NET EXPORTER
OF PHYSICIANS IN THE U.S.
TO OTHER STATES.
THE STATE HAS FUNDED A
NEW MEDICAL SCHOOL,
+@
+@ IDAHO
+@ IDAHO COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE.
AND WE HAVE FUNDED
PARTNERSHIPS TO SEND
IDAHO STUDENTS TO +@
UNIVERSITY OF
WASHIN+@GTON'S MEDICAL
SCHOOL AND THE
UNIVERSITY OF UTAH.
BUT EPPERLY BELIEVES
WITHOUT MORE MEDICAL+@
RESIDENCIES TO HELP KEEP PHYSI+@CIANS IN IDAHO -- ON THE DAY OF
GRADUATION, THEY DRIP
+@
IDAHO -- ON THE DAY OF GRADUATION, THEY DRIP OUT OF THE STATE LIKE
WATER OUT OF A