Pharmacists to the Rescue in Addressing U.S. Primary Care Coverage Gap

America is experiencing a doctor shortage that is expected to get much worse before it gets better. This has exposed a dire need for primary care services, especially in many rural communities. And not surprisingly, the nation’s pharmacists are stepping up to fill the void, offering an increased number of services and expanding their role in patient healthcare.

How severe is the doctor shortage? “An urgent crisis” is how American Medical Association President Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, M.D. described the situation in an October 2023 national address. “The physician shortage that we have long feared – and warned was on the horizon – is already here,” he told an audience at the National Press Club. “It’s an urgent crisis… hitting every corner of this country – urban and rural – with the most direct impact hitting families with high needs and limited needs.”

Research by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) projects a shortage of as many as 48,000 primary care physicians by 2034, although the effects are already being felt in communities across the country. A September 2023 report by NBC News profiled the community of Lafayette, Alabama, which is currently served by a single primary care physician. “The only one,” the report notes, “within a 30-mile drive.” The community’s dedicated physician is 68 years old, and would like to retire. She has vowed though, to continue to serve until replacements arrive. “They will come,” she said, “and we will be here until then.”

In a separate study, the National Association of Community Health Centers determined the shortage has resulted in over 100 million Americans – nearly one-third of the U.S. population – not having access to a “usual source of primary care.” These individuals include Americans “from all income levels, locations, ages, races, ethnicities, and insurance status.” In fact, the research found only one-in-10 of medically disenfranchised Americans are uninsured. Read more >