Primary Care Shortage in Medically Underserved and Health Provider Shortage Areas: Lessons from Delaware, USA. 2021

Srikrishna Varun Malayala, and Deepa Vasireddy, and Paavani Atluri, and Ram Sanjeev Alur
Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

To examine the reasons contributing to the physician shortage in the country's medically underserved areas using the state of Delaware as a focus state. A literature review regarding the shortage of physicians with data compilation from Delaware Department of Public Health (DPH) and Delaware Health and Social services (DHSS) was performed. A review of the "Conrad 30 J1 VISA waiver program," the most important and primary supplier of physicians to underserved areas of the state was performed. A survey interviewing the physicians recruited through this program to identify any challenges faced by them was designed and conducted. The number of primary care physicians providing direct patient care in Delaware in 2018 had declined about 6% from 2013. The average wait time to see a PCP was 8.2 days in 1998 as compared to 23.5 days in 2018. Forty-six percent of physicians serving in HPSAs in Delaware are IMGs recruited through the J1 VISA waiver program. Eighty percent of these IMGs are actively considering leaving the United States due to anxieties around physician immigration policies, mainly "Immigration backlog." The existing programs to recruit physicians to underserved areas seem to be inadequate. The state and the hospital systems should be able to utilize the J1 program to its full potential and focus on retaining these physicians after their assigned services. As the challenges of IMGs continue to worsen every day; the medical societies, hospitals, the state and federal government should advocate for policies that resolve these challenges.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008507 Medically Underserved Area A geographic location which has insufficient health resources (manpower and/or facilities) to meet the medical needs of the resident population. National Health Service Corps,Physician Shortage Area,Area, Medically Underserved,Health Service Corps, National,Medically Underserved Population,Area, Physician Shortage,Areas, Medically Underserved,Areas, Physician Shortage,Medically Underserved Areas,Medically Underserved Populations,Physician Shortage Areas,Population, Medically Underserved,Populations, Medically Underserved,Shortage Area, Physician,Shortage Areas, Physician,Underserved Area, Medically,Underserved Areas, Medically,Underserved Population, Medically,Underserved Populations, Medically
D010820 Physicians Individuals licensed to practice medicine. Physician
D011320 Primary Health Care Care which provides integrated, accessible health care services by clinicians who are accountable for addressing a large majority of personal health care needs, developing a sustained partnership with patients, and practicing in the context of family and community. (JAMA 1995;273(3):192) Primary Care,Primary Healthcare,Care, Primary,Care, Primary Health,Health Care, Primary,Healthcare, Primary
D003691 Delaware State bounded on the north by Pennsylvania, on the west and south by Maryland, and on the east by Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D019035 Rural Health Services Health services, public or private, in rural areas. The services include the promotion of health and the delivery of health care. Health Services, Rural,Rural Health Center,Services, Rural Health,Center, Rural Health,Centers, Rural Health,Health Center, Rural,Health Centers, Rural,Health Service, Rural,Rural Health Centers,Rural Health Service,Service, Rural Health

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