The Massachusetts Medical Society's ninth annual Physician
Workforce Study found that 10 physician specialties in
Massachusetts are operating under severe labor market
conditions.
- Dermatology
- Emergency medicine
- Family medicine
- General surgery
- Internal medicine
- Neurology
- Orthopedics
- Psychiatry
- Urology
- Vascular surgery
|
Download |
This is the fifth straight year that the MMS workforce study has
identified primary care as being in short supply.
In other findings:
- Practices' ability to retain existing physicians has worsened,
but department chiefs at teaching hospitals and medical staff
presidents of community hospitals report that retention issues have
improved over time.
- Difficulty in filling job vacancies has improved slightly over
the last few years, according to the department chiefs of teaching
hospitals. However, vacancy rates still remain well above those for
all occupations in Massachusetts.
- Physician shortages have increasingly impacted the provision of
services and staffing patterns according at physician practices and
community hospitals, while teaching hospitals and medical groups
have seen improvements in these areas over time.
- Internists and family medicine physicians report the longest
appointment wait times for new patients.
- Physician satisfaction shows signs of improvement. However, a
high ratio of physicians are dissatisfied for reasons such as
uncompetitive income levels, the tradeoff between patient care and
administrative tasks, professional liability fees and the fear of
being sued.
Full Report (.pdf, 120 pages)
Executive Summary (.pdf, 15 pages)
