ACC CardioCareer & CME Guide - March 2008v8 - (Page 14) Solving the Cardiovascular Workforce Dilemma By George P. Rodgers, MD, FACC, Chair, Board of Governors and Pat White, President of MedAxiom mericans today are not only living longer, but a greater number are living with chronic illnesses, including cardiovascular disease, resulting in an increased need for specialized health care. Unfortunately, the supply of practicing cardiovascular physicians has not increased concomitantly to meet the greater demand. To assess the extent of the workforce shortage, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and MedAxiom recently commissioned an online “State of the Practice” survey. The survey of nearly 300 practice administrators associated with government hospitals, group practices, medical school/university hospitals, multispecialty groups, and solo practitioners found that three out of four practices reported a current vacancy for a cardiovascular specialist. The greatest demand was for general clinical cardiologists and interventional coronary specialists — approximately 57 percent of the current workforce indicated a need for these positions. Mid to large-sized general cardiology practices were most challenged to maintain a full staff. In addition, more than 50 percent of all respondents indicated their agreement with the statement: “By year 2010, there will not be a sufficient number of cardiologists to treat those who need care.” A Demand Drivers Survey respondents indicated several drivers — in addition to an increasing number of patients — affecting the workforce shortage. Almost 70 percent said that an increased workload was driving their need to fill open positions. Additional drivers included: • Resignation or termination of other physicians in the practice. • Retirement of other physicians. • Desire for reduced hours. Across the board, the findings also indicated that physicians are struggling to have more of a work-life balance. More than 80 percent of respondents said that they were interested in achieving more harmony. Improving Practice Efficiencies Based on the survey results, several strategies could help address the supply-demand disparities in cardiovascular care. From an academic program standpoint, increasing the number of cardiovascular fellowship training positions is one method for (Continued on the following page) CV Physician Workforce Demand The greatest demand for CV physicians are in the fields of general cardiology and interventional cardiology. Open Positions General Cardiology Interventional Cardiology Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Interventional Peripheral Cardiology Echo Nuclear/PET Heart Failure Cardiology CT Adult Congenital MR Preventive/Lipids Pediatric Cardiology Other 180 139 67 57 Difficulty 3.67 3.61 4.38 3.97 Difficulty Rank 5 7 1 3 29 22 21 16 7 7 5 4 7 554 3.07 3.12 3.21 3.75 3.31 3.57 2.52 4.00 3.64 12 11 10 4 9 8 13 2 6 Difficulty* measured on a 1-5 scale 14 American College of Cardiology CardioCareer & CME Guide
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