VIDEO | Addressing the Aging Physician Workforce

By 2030, approximately 20% of the total US population will be 65 or older.

This is a 14% increase from today. These Medicare-eligible seniors continue to have longer life expectancies and are higher utilizers of health care services.

As this population grows, and the aging physician workforce nears retirement – this creates a significant gap between patient demand and physician supply across all specialties.

In this short video, Jaclyn Zurawski explores how organizations can accurately assess changing service needs and clinical workforce staffing requirements with a comprehensive provider needs assessment.

Video Transcript

Hi, my name is Jaclyn Zurawski. I’m a Principal with SullivanCotter and have been with the firm for 8 years. My focus is on workforce strategy, and I lead our Provider Needs Assessment team.

By 2030, approximately 20% of the total US population will be 65 or older. This is a 14% increase from today. These Medicare-eligible seniors continue to have longer life expectancies and are higher utilizers of health care services. As the population ages, so do the physicians caring for these patients. 25% of all physicians will reach retirement age by 2030.

This creates a significant gap between patient demand and physician supply across all specialties.

The makeup of the population and physicians varies market to market, and therefore, it is imperative that health care systems have an accurate understanding of the market need, and the age and productivity levels of the physicians practicing in their specific markets to ensure proactive succession plans are in place to fill the gaps and meet patient demand in the coming years.

Accurately assessing changing service needs and clinical workforce staffing requirements is critical as market-specific supply and demand continue to evolve. In addition to determining the right number and type of physicians and advanced practice providers required to operate effectively in the communities they serve, organizations must also address other needs from their workforce planning initiatives.

This includes monitoring potential retirements and reductions in clinical productivity levels to help inform succession planning needs. As more physicians ease into retirement over the next 3-5 years and early-career physicians place greater value on work-life balance than past generations, having a succession plan in place can help fill key vacancies and support your organization’s overall talent strategy.

At SullivanCotter, we partner with health systems across the country to provide accurate, data-driven provider needs assessment insights to identify the greatest gaps in the local markets, ensure proactive physician succession plans are in place, and develop long-term recruitment and retention strategies to meet demand in the coming years.