Demand for physician specialists is growing

Physician recruiting firm Merritt Hawkins noticed an interesting trend in 2017: recruitment for specialists increased while recruitment for primary care physicians decreased. According to Merritt Hawkins' 25th Annual Review of Physician and Advanced Practitioner Recruiting Incentives, 74% of recruiting assignments were for medical specialties, up 7% from three years ago. As for primary care, searches for these physicians decreased by 32% from three years ago. The report assessed the 3,00 recruiting assignments Merritt Hawkins conducted from April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018. 

"Family medicine was our number one search for the twelfth year in a row, so demand for primary care doctors is still strong," said Travis Singleton, Merritt Hawkins senior vice president. "But it is a mistake to believe that physician shortages are confined to primary care. Specialists are also in short supply."

According to the report, there could be a specialist shortage of 73,000 by 2030. Psychiatry was the most sought after specialty and second overall. 

Source: Healthcare Finance