Ongoing shortages of medical professionals have led to persistent problems across the care continuum for providers of all specialties — and gastroenterologists have not been spared.
As the U.S. faces a potential shortage of 124,000 physicians by 2034, physicians have been forced to shift their strategies and innovate in order to keep up with increasing demand for care: the U.S. population is expected to increase by nearly 100 million by 2050, according to a report by AMN Healthcare. Not only that, but by 2034, it is projected that there will be more individuals in the U.S. who are older than 65 than children younger than 17 for the first time — leading to an older patient population with more complex medical needs.
Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that the average age of all practicing physicians in the U.S. is 53.9 — more than 10 years older than the U.S. labor force median age of 41.8, according to a 2023 report from Definitive Healthcare. Further, a recent Medscape survey of physicians found that 41% of respondents in their 50s said they plan to retire in their early 60s.
The ramifications of these findings are a looming concern to all those in healthcare — and there is more gastroenterologists have to worry about: The number of younger people with colon cancer diagnoses is on the rise. A report from the American Cancer Society found that diagnoses among people younger than 55 increased from 11% in 1995 to 20% in 2019, and a growing number of young people are being identified with more advanced stages of the disease.
Further, in 2021, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force updated its recommended age for colorectal cancer screenings to age 45 rather than 50, increasing the demand for care among an already strained workforce.
In a recent survey by Medscape, 50% of gastroenterologists said they felt burned out or both burned out and depressed — the fourth-highest percentage among 29 specialties.
Considering all this, gastroenterologists have been forced to innovate, with many taking advantage of new technologies and treatment options, such as EMRs and telehealth services, Shaibal Mazumdar, MD, a gastroenterologist at Charlotte, N.C.-based Advocate Health, told Becker's.
"With strained resources, it's important to tweak the process," Dr. Mazumdar said. "Physicians and nurse practitioners are collective resources, and we strive to work at the top of our license with good communication. It is also important to innovate with newer technologies related to artificial intelligence in order to get rid of excessive added activities — to do more with less.
"Curbside consults with referring physicians when you are connected through EMR also helps to make sure patients get timely access to good care."
Other tactics to tackle strain caused by staffing issues have been focused on increasing current employee happiness and job satisfaction, according to Stephen Amann, MD, of Digestive Health Specialists in Tupelo, Miss.
"For the past year or so, this has included pay improvements for all staff, multiple times, despite our overall decreases in revenue from Medicare," Dr. Amann told Becker's. "We have also tried to improve employee "team building" within the organization and open dialogue for ideas and improvements, which help with employee satisfaction."
These changes have upped employee satisfaction at Dr. Amann's practice, and he said he is hopeful about other strategy shifts going forward.
"Long term, we are looking at ways to improve efficiencies and service with technology and try to lessen burdens on staff," Dr. Amann continued. "We are looking at ways to help staff acquire practical knowledge, training and experience so that new opportunities for growth and advancement will be available to them in the practice."