Healthcare News and Trends
A Shortage of Orthopedic Surgeons is Looming [White Paper]
November 12, 2019
By Phillip Miller, VP
at Merritt Hawkins
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), the number of hip replacements among people 45 and over increased from
138,700 to 310,800 over the opening decade of this century, while the rate of
these procedures increased from 142 per 100,000 people to 257 per 100,000.
These numbers tell you all you need to know regarding why
demand for orthopedic surgeons is rising.
Population aging is driving the need for a wide range of specialists who
treat conditions common to older citizens, including orthopedic surgeons. The
Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) projects a shortage up of to
122,000 physicians by 2032. Of these, up to 55,000 will be primary care
physicians, while an even larger number (up to 67,000) will be specialists. The
AAMC projects a shortage of up to 23,000 surgeons.
The supply of orthopedic surgeons is limited due to the
relatively small number who complete residency each year – a number that is
inhibited by the 1997 cap Congress placed on funding for physician graduate
medical education (GME). Supply also will be increasingly limited by
retirements in the specialty. Close to 60% of orthopedic surgeons in active
practice are 55 years old or older, and a “retirement cliff” in the specialty
is looming. As a result, the Health Resources and Services Administration
(HRSA) projects a shortage of 5,080 orthopedic surgeons by 2025.
Given current market realities, how can hospitals, medical
groups and other healthcare organizations successfully recruit the orthopedic
surgeons they need?
Merritt Hawkins addresses that question in a new white paper
entitled, Orthopedic Surgery: Supply, Demand and Recruiting Trends. The
white paper traces the origins of orthopedic surgery, reviews educational and
training requirements in the specialty, and examines factors driving supply and
demand.
It also includes a discussion of “best practices” that can
be employed when recruiting orthopedic surgeons, including how to structure the
practice to be appealing to candidates, setting candidate parameters, and
candidate selection strategies.
Readers can access this timely new resource here.
Phillip Miller is Vice President of Communications for
Merritt Hawkins, the nation’s leading physician search firm and a company of
AMN Healthcare. He can be reached here.
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