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SOLUTIONS. GUIDANCE FOR THE
MEDICARE PROTECTION YOU NEED.
ALL RIGHT. WELCOME BACK,
EVERYBODY. OUR I TEAM IS DIGGING
DEEPER INTO A CRITICAL DOCTOR
SHORTAGE IN OUR STATE PRIMARY
CARE DOCTORS WHO YOU GO SEE FOR
YEARLY PHYSICALS OR ILLNESSES.
THE LACK OF THESE DOCTORS IS
LEAVING PATIENTS EXHAUSTED. AND
IF YOU CAN'T FIND ONE, YOU'RE
NOT ALONE. CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE
REPORTER SAM SMITH LOOKS AT WHY
THIS IS HAPPENING AND WHAT'S
BEING DONE TO HELP? I REALLY
DIDN'T THINK IT WAS GOING TO BE
DIFFICULT. IT'S TAKEN REBECCA
MARTIN TWO YEARS TO FIND A
DOCTOR AFTER HERS, RETIRED EVERY
SINGLE DOCTOR, I CALLED SAID
WE'RE NOT TAKING ANY NEW
PATIENTS FOR LAST ROW, SAYS HE
SPENT SEVERAL HOURS EACH WEEK
OVER THE LAST FIVE MONTHS
SEARCHING FOR A NEW DOCK. IT'S
BEEN TOUGH AND HONESTLY, I'VE
KIND OF GIVEN UP ON IT, AND THEN
YOGA CAN'T FIND OPEN
APPOINTMENTS THAT AREN'T MONTHS
AWAY. IT'S LIKE A THREE MONTH
WAIT IF IT'S SOMETHING URGENT,
AND IT'S CLOSE TO A YEAR FOR A
FOR A PHYSICAL STORIES LIKE
THESE ARE BECOMING ALL TOO
COMMON IN CONNECTICUT. IT IS A
DIFFICULT SITUATION WE'RE
DEALING WITH HERE IN CONNECTICUT
. WE HAVE NEARLY 3900 PRIMARY
CARE DOCTORS AROUND 108 DOCTORS
FOR EVERY 100,000 PEOPLE. THAT'S
THE 10TH HIGHEST RATE IN THE
COUNTRY. BUT DR KURRAM GORMAN
WITH THE CONNECTICUT MEDICAL
SOCIETY SAYS WE COULD USE 10 TO
15% MORE PC PS TO PREPARE FOR
THE FUTURE. SHORTAGE OF PRIMARY
CARE PHYSICIANS IN THE COUNTRY.
IT'S STAGGERING. IT'S
STAGGERING, MEDICAL
STAGGERING, MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS SAY, FOR A NUMBER
OF REASONS AS MORE PRIMARY CARE
DOCTORS RETIRE, FEWER ARE
ENTERING THE FIELD, ABOUT TWO
OUT OF FIVE PRACTICING
PHYSICIANS TODAY ARE OVER 65,
THE HEALTHCARE COMMUNITY SEEN A
TREND TOWARDS EARLY RETIREMENT
AS WELL. DR DAVID SIMON SAYS.
THAT'S BECAUSE THE WORK REQUIRED
TO PROPERLY CARE FOR A PATIENT
HAS DOUBLED OVER THE YEARS OF
STUFF THAT HAS TO GO ON IN THE
BACKGROUND IN ORDER FOR THAT TO
HAPPEN, WHETHER IT'S
AUTHORIZATIONS, MEDICATION
AUTHORIZATIONS, MEDICATION REFILLS. UM ETCETERA. WE GO
THROUGH A WHOLE LITANY OF
THINGS. GOOD AFTERNOON. HOW ARE
YOU? BILL INTO PERSPECTIVE. DR
REBECCA ANDREW SAYS MOST PRIMARY
CARE DOCTOR SEE ABOUT 1600 TO
2000 PATIENTS AT ANY GIVEN TIME
OUTSIDE OF JUST THE OFFICE
VISITS THE ADDITIONAL WORK THAT
NEEDS TO BE DONE FOR EACH
PATIENT IS EQUAL TO ABOUT 13
HOURS OF EXTRA WORK EACH DAY FOR
EVERY HOUR OF PATIENT CARE THAT
I PROVIDE. FACE TO FACE. I HAVE
TWO HOURS OF PAPERWORK AT HOME.
FOR ALL THEY'RE EXPECTED TO DO.
PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS ARE PAID
LESS THAN SPECIALISTS. THE
AVERAGE PCP IN CONNECTICUT MAKES
MORE THAN $269,000, THE AVERAGE
SURGICAL SPECIALISTS 600,000.
THEY'RE ALSO PAID LESS IN
REIMBURSEMENT RATES BY INSURANCE
COMPANIES, MEDICARE AND MEDICAID
. ALL OF THESE FACTORS MAKE
PRIMARY CARE LESS ATTRACTIVE TO
MEDICAL STUDENTS. WE'VE GOT TO
INCENTIVIZE MORE OF OUR YOUNGER
TRAINEES. IN MEDICAL SCHOOL AND
RESIDENCY TO GO INTO PRIMARY
CARE. FIXING THE ISSUE ISN'T
EASY, BUT CONNECTICUT IS TRYING
WHEN TALKING ABOUT ENTICING
MEDICAL STUDENTS, UCONN AND
QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY HAVE
PROGRAMS THAT FOCUS AND
ENCOURAGE PRIMARY CARE STUDY.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO GET THEM
EXPOSED EARLY ON SO THEY CAN
DEVELOP SOME OF THOSE INTERESTS
AND SKILLS BURNOUT. DR SIMON
SAYS A CURRENT EFFICIENCY
PROJECT HAPPENING IN THE STATE
IS LOOKING AT HOW TO TAKE WORK
OFF THE PCP IS CREATING A MUCH
MORE A TEAM APPROACH TO THE CARE
OF THESE PATIENTS, SO THE
PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS AND FREED
UP TO ACTUALLY DO WITH THEIR
SPECIALIZED TO DO, WHICH IS TAKE
CARE OF THE PATIENTS ASK FOR
WHAT YOU CAN DO, DR SIMON SAYS.
THINK ABOUT WORKING WITH
ADVANCED PRACTICE REGISTERED
NURSES. AND PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS
INSTEAD. THEY STILL WORK HAND IN
HAND WITH PHYSICIANS, AND YOU'LL
HAVE AN EASIER TIME SCHEDULING
WITH THEM. YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT
BROADENING THE NUMBER OF
PROVIDERS DRAMATICALLY IF YOU'RE
WILLING TO SEE IN A PRN OR A P
A. IT'S SOMETHING REBECCA MARTIN
DECIDED TO DO. ENDING HER TWO
YEAR SEARCH. TELL YOU I WAS. I
WAS SURPRISED. SHE WAS VERY
KNOWLEDGEABLE, VERY GOOD.
ALRIGHT SO I'M JOINS US NOW
WIT% MORE IN THE STUDIO, THE DOCTOR
SAID THERE ARE SEVERAL REASONS
WHY THERE IS A SHORTAGE. BUT IS
THERE ONE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND
IT? LOCAL PC PS CAN BE CARING
FOR UP TO 2000 PATIENTS. SAM,
THAT IS INCREDIBLE. SO I THINK A
LOT OF THAT IS THAT IS AN
INCREDIBLE NUMBER. SO THE ONE
DRIVING FORCE WE SAW WAS A LOT
OF EARLY RETIREMENTS. THIS ONE
STUDY SHOWED THAT ABOUT 40% OF
PC. PS ACTUALLY RETIRED EARLY
SOMETIME IN 2022 WHEN MAYBE THEY
WOULD HAVE LASTED ANOTHER SIX
YEARS. AND THE FACT IS, THEY'RE
NOT GETTING ENOUGH MEDICAL
STUDENTS COMING IN TO FILL THAT
GAP, SO WE ALSO, AS YOU SAW IN
THE STORY SAW THAT TWO OUT OF
FIVE PHYSICIANS RIGHT NOW ARE
OVER 65, SO THEY'RE ALREADY KIND
OF AT THAT RETIREMENT AGE, AND
THEY MAY BE SAYING, YOU KNOW, I
JUST WANT TO GET OUT EARLY. I'M
BURNED OUT. 2000 PATIENTS. WE
INCREDIBLE. INCREDIBLE I HAD NO
IDEA AND YOU'RE CARING FOR THEM.
SO THAT'S OUTSIDE OF THE PATIENT
VISITS. THAT'S ADDITIONAL WORK
THAT YOU'RE DOING BECAUSE YOU'RE
WORKING ABOUT YOU'RE WORKING ON
REFILLS. AUTHORIZATIONS THAT
SORT OF STUFF YOU HEARD. DR
REBECCA ANDREWS SAY THAT SHE HAS
TWO HOURS OF PAPERWORK FOR EVERY
PATIENT, RIGHT? REMARKABLE
ABSOLUTELY IS ALL RIGHT. SO WHAT
KIND OF CHANGES CAN BE MADE SO
DOCTORS AREN'T RESPONSIBLE FOR
SO MANY PATIENTS? WELL, THERE IS
A STUDY RIGHT NOW BEING DONE
WITH PACKED. MD PHYSICIANS
ALLIANCE OF CONNECTICUT. IN
PARTNERSHIP WITH HARTFORD
HEALTHCARE, WHERE THEY'RE GOING
TO LOOK AT KIND OF PUTTING THAT
WORK THAT THE PCP WOULD NORMALLY
DO THEMSELVES ON SOME OTHER
STAFF. MAYBE THEY'RE HIRING MORE
STAFF. MAYBE THEY'RE LOOKING AT
. TYPICALLY THIS STAFF MEMBER
WOULD NOT HAVE THIS SORT OF
RESPONSIBILITY, BUT NOW THEY DO
SORT OF ITS INEFFICIENCY PROJECT
TO SEE WHERE THEY CAN. THEY CAN
GIVE TASKS TO OTHER PEOPLE, SO
THE PCB IS NOT DEALING WITH THAT
JUST THEMSELVES, AND THEN WHAT
YOU CAN DO IS GET COMFORTABLE
WITH SEEING AN AARP N OR P A. I
MEAN, I THINK A LOT OF US HERE
THAT AND WE'RE LIKE, WELL,
THAT'S NOT THE EMPTY RIGHT HAND
IN HAND WITH PHYSICIANS JUST AS
WELL AS PHYSICIANS, AND I'VE
ACTUALLY HEARD FROM A LOT OF
VIEWERS THAT THEY SOMETIMES LIKE
THEM BECAUSE THEY GIVE THEM A
LITTLE BIT MORE ATTENTION THAN
EMPTY BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE
2000 PATIENTS AT ONE TIME. OKAY
WELL, THANK YOU. SAM WAS A
PLEASURE TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, IT'S
NICE TO WORK WITH YOU FOR THE
FIRST TIME. I'M HAPPY TO MAKE MY
DEBUT HERE. BEAUTIFUL IN YOUR
RED DRESS TO MATCH OUR POINT
SETTINGS I TRIED. I TRIED COMING
UP HER