Doctor Shortage is a Myth

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A trial attorney recently published an article in the Arizona Republic calling the alleged doctor shortage a myth and backing his claims up with some interesting facts. Here is an exerpt. It's an interesting read.

This deception is not an accident. It is part of a coordinated effort by industry giants to mislead and deceive the public. In 2003, what then was called the General Accounting Office was asked by Congress to look into the problem of rising medical malpractice premiums because of mounting pressure from the AMA.

The agency, now the Government Accountability Office, was told many stories by the AMA, as well as state and local medical associations, that doctors were "fleeing the state" because of the malpractice "crisis." The GAO found these allegations either involved relatively few physicians, or in some cases were downright inaccurate. The GAO even noted, "Reports of physician departures in Florida were anecdotal, not extensive, and in some cases we determined them to be inaccurate.

"For example, state medical society officials told us that Collier and Lee counties lost all of their neurosurgeons due to malpractice concerns; however, we found at least five neurosurgeons currently practicing in each county as of April 2003." This GAO report goes on to note similar misinformation relating to Mississippi, Nevada and Pennsylvania.

There are two sides battling it out on this issue but some interesting facts nonetheless.