National Pediatric Specialty Physician Shortage

At our firm and in physician healthcare news we have heard a lot about the physician shortage, particularly the current and impending shortage in primary care. However other specialties are currently experiencing a shortage as well with the future predicting an increase in physician specialty shortages.

The New England Journal of Medicine has posted a table referencing the shortage of pediatric specialty physicians in their latest addition of Recruiting Physicians Today. The table shows what pediatric specialties are most in demand per US state.

According to their data, at least 16 US states lack at least one of 13 pediatric sub-specialty physicians.

See the full table here:
http://www.nejmjobs.org/rpt/specialist-shortage.aspx

Medical Office Buildings: Good Time to Sell?

If physicians who own a medical office building are interested in selling, they might have some big-monied investors as buyers, according to industry experts. Real estate investors scarred by the recent volatility of other investments are looking for stable places to put their money, but there are not enough of these types of buildings to meet demand.

The ability for hospitals to raise funds to build these kinds of projects is starting to return. Public and private real estate investment trusts have gathered significant cash and announced they are looking for investment opportunities. In the wake of the recent recession, assets that did not lose much value, such as medical office buildings, have a lot of appeal.

Large buildings on hospital campuses with long-term stable tenants traditionally have garnered the most interest. But smaller off-campus buildings also are becoming attractive, in part because there are not enough on-campus facilities to satisfy investor demand.

Read the full article at American Medical News, or click here:

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2010/05/24/bisb0524.htm

Healthcare Employment Increased in April

Employment in the U.S. healthcare sector increased by approximately 20,100 jobs in April, although the national unemployment rate increased slightly to 9.9% according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The biggest healthcare job gains were in ambulatory care, where 9,400 jobs were added in April, and in hospitals, which added 6,100 jobs.

Total healthcare employment has increased by 244,000 over the past year.

Read the full article at Healthcare Finance News, or click here:
http://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/healthcare-employment-increased-april

Med School Enrollment in 2015 Will Miss Goal

With a physician shortage looming in its sights, in 2006 the Association of American Medical Colleges set a goal of boosting first-year med school enrollment by 30% between 2002’s baseline and 2015.
It’s going to miss that target by a few years, the AAMC said today. In its 2009 med school enrollment survey, the group’s Center for Workforce Studies said enrollment will be up by 23% in 2015, to 20,281, and up a projected 30% in 2018. Enrollment at med schools and osteopathic med schools combined, however, will rise to 26,550 in 2015, up 36% from 2002.

That would seem to be good news for the physician shortage, but the real bottleneck for future doctors is the number of residency slots. U.S. med school graduates vie for those spots with international graduates and osteopaths, and that competition is likely to heat up, the AAMC report says.

Read the full article in The Wall Street Journal, or click here:
http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2010/05/10/med-school-enrollment-in-2015-will-miss-goal/

The Must-Haves in Academic Med Center Employment Contracts

Our firm has experienced a surge in academic positions. We are constantly working with physician candidates seeking academic positions, and there are many desirable positions available.

We thought it appropriate to include an article on what academic candidates can confirm is in their employment contracts. MedCenter Today has published an article on what academic contracts should include to protect the candidate and confirm they are getting a competitive offer.

According to MedCenter Today, many prospective faculty members fail to review the contract from the perspective of how well they are protected not only during employment but in the event they leave the organization.

Read the full article by clicking here:
http://www.medcentertoday.com/article.php?id=48&chapter_id=5

Physician Employment Contract: Ending a Practice Relationship

Exiting a process can be an emotional and complex transition. Professional liability insurance is a concern that needs to be addressed before a physician leaves a practice situation for any reason.

There are two main types of insurance policies for professional liability: claims-made and occurrence-based coverage, most medical practices maintain claims-made professional liability insurance coverage.

While professional liability insurance may not be the first thing on a physician's mind when joining a practice, it most definitely is a key concern when leaving a practice. In order to prevent unexpected surprises, both parties need to be sure to have the liability insurance provision of their employment agreement solidified such that all parties are on the same page in the event of one of the physician's departures, or the dissolution of the practice itself.

Read the full article at American Medical News, or click here: http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2010/05/03/bicb0503.htm