Doctors Of Pediatrics May Not Have A Dependable Future Ahead

In other places in the country, the average Pediatrician in Texas is seeing many of the same challenges as other specialties. Of the approximately sixty-three thousand doctors in the Lone Star state, nearly four thousand seven hundred specialize in Pediatrics. For many of the 800 Texas urologists the forseeable future is uncertain. Of those roughly four thousand Pediatricians, 4466 are M.D.'s and one hundred and seventy three are D.O.'s. While there may be some differences in training, both M.D.'s and D.O.'s are equally endorsed and able to become a doctor of Pediatrics. A medical doctor of Pediatrics typically has at least between ten and thirteen years of education including a undergraduate degree in a healthcare or science related area, a medical doctorate (graduate, M.D. or D.O.), and an accredited Pediatrics residency (post-graduate).

HEALTH CARE REFORM

The continual epic of health reform having an influence on all specializations. Until it becomes obvious precisely what is being changed and how that will shape each partaker the market will be hamstrung. Uncertainty affects spending on expansion and hiring at all levels of health care.

Some parts of the reform are attempting to concentrate on shortages in primary care. The Senate bill encloses a measure that would sponsor a loan-forgiveness program for pediatric sub-specialists, easing the financial difficulties of medical-school costs. The federal Medicare program funds training programs for adult medicine. Congress five years ago authorized funding for pediatric specialty training, but the funds must be re-authorized every year.

Pediatric groups carry on pressing for to more funding for post graduate training. The cost of training is going higher (see California!) and yet the income for primary care is not on a par with many other specializations. There may be a need to get reimbursement for training or upper reimbursement for pediatric residents, in the hope of encouraging more doctors-in-training to enter the domain. Sub-specialization typically requires up to three years of education beyond a general pediatrics residency and historically can give salaries less than half the rate of adult specialty medicine.


INCREASED DEMAND

The demand for pediatric sub-specialists is continuing to increase for the following reasons:
* More Educated consumers requesting sub-specialists for treatment
* Elevated obesity rates among children
* Fellowship programs not meeting the current mini boom in population of children

Many general pediatric residents are pursuing pediatric sub-specialty training. The number of subspecialty training openings has not adequately increased during this last decade.

RISING DEMAND RISING INCOME

For some time now there have been predictions of deficits of physicians of many specialties in the US. For pediatrics the issue seems to be with the subspecialties like neurology, gastroenterology, and developmental and behavioral medicine and pediatric surgeons. As a result of this shortage, incomes have outpaced other medical specialties. The scarcity is abundant enough that the salaries for some of these sub specialties is approaching that of adult specialties for the first time. According to the MGMA Physician Compensation Surveys pediatric sub-specialists salaries have grown greatly and for one of the first times, pediatric surgeons in reality earn more than their adult surgeon counterparts.

SHORTAGES

This augmented demand is on top of the fact that institutions report that jobs for the top Pediatric specialties are going unoccupied; reporting deficits in pediatric-rehabilitation medicine, hematology and oncology, and cardiology. For families, that often means waiting for months to see a specialist and incurring heavy travel costs to find proper care.

DEMOGRAPHICS

A massive concern is the demographics of the US. The main bulk of the residents in the US is the baby boomer age group which is now entering retirement age. The "boomers" cause several problems, one this means the bulk of physicians are retiring just when they will be needed most, two as we grow older we demand more health care services. Greater need for services will cause an even greater financial pressure on the government through increased dependence on Medicare. Finally a good news / bad news is they may live much longer then any age group before but this will further hamper the budget with demands on Social Security and Medicare. Even though the baby boom problem does not directly impact pediatrics, it does indirectly in that their increased need will mean higher salaries for those specialties that care for them and less for pediatrics. To further confuse the issue there is a mini baby boom going on now that will directly increase demand for all pediatric specialties.

Solutions:

To cope with the crisis, many hospitals are turning to telemedicine, remote consultations using two-way video systems-and mobile vans that may drive 100's of miles to set up clinics in under-served areas. Hospitals are also more often shifting to adult specialists to treat kids, even if not all are willing to do so since their guidance is for adult physiology rather than kids.