5 Factors contributing to the US specialist physician shortage

The U.S. specialist physician shortage can be attributed to several factors, including a lack of funding for medical education, an aging population of both patients and providers, and increases in chronic conditions that demand specialty care. It’s also impacting the dual-eligible patient more frequently than those covered by private payors.

Now, an already strained health care system is being pushed to its limits by the COVID-19 pandemic, as health care centers across the country fill with patients seeking treatment for the novel coronavirus.

How can telehealth systems support healthcare organizations combat already existing challenges, such as the increasing shortage of specialists?

Under such critical circumstances, eConsults represent a potential telehealth system solution to help health care systems alleviate this unprecedented strain on resources while enabling patients to continue receiving care in a safe, remote environment.

In particular, patients at a greater risk of complications due to COVID-19—for instance, those who suffer from chronic conditions such as diabetes, obesity, and asthma—can avoid time spent in waiting rooms and emergency departments, environments where they would be at much greater risk of exposure to the virus.

eConsults connect providers with specialists for on-demand consultations via a HIPAA-compliant platform. This enables providers to continue providing patients with necessary treatment in safer settings while decreasing the use of on-site medical resources and helping to avoid a backlog of pending specialist referrals—freeing up specialist physicians, emergency department capacity, and additional health care resources for health systems to put toward fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.