HE005

1. The United States is projected to experience a significant shortage of primary care physicians (PCPs) and registered nurses (RNs), which is expected to intensify with the aging baby-boomer population. According to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS, 2013), it has been estimated that by 2020 the country could experience a shortage of 20,400 or more primary care physicians, which often affects those living in inner-city communities and rural America. These shortages will be alleviated by the increased number of physician assistants and nurse practitioners, which will grow by 30% (HHS). According to Shi and Singh (2015), by 2020 there could be a deficit of Registered Nurses of over 300,000. As the need for healthcare grows, the uneven distribution and growing deficit of resources and providers leaves a large percentage of Americans at risk.

Reference: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis. (2013). Projecting the supply and demand for primary care practitioners through 2020. Retrieved from http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/supplydemand/usworkforce/primarycare/

• Explain why there may be a shortage of PCPs in rural and inner-city communities. (1–2 paragraphs)
• How is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) addressing the shortage of PCPs and RNs? (1–2 paragraphs)
• What other programs are available to address the shortage of primary care physicians and nurses? What action are the programs taking? (1–2 paragraphs)
• How is the shortage impacting healthcare delivery? Be specific by providing examples and support your response with academic resources. (1–2 paragraphs)