Primary care physicians are tops on hospitals' wish lists

For the seventh consecutive year, primary care physicians top the wish list for most hospitals, medical groups and other healthcare organizations, according to a release from healthcare consulting and recruitment firm Merritt Hawkins. Among the findings in the firm’s soon-to-be-released 2013 Review of Physician Recruiting Incentives: family physicians and general internists were the top two most requested physician search assignments. Demand is also rising for geriatricians, hospitalists, emergency physicians, and for non-physician practitioners, including physician assistants (PA) and nurse practitioners (NP).

However, demand is diminishing for some medical specialists, including radiology, which was Merritt Hawkins’ most requested specialty in 2001, 2002, and 2003. Radiology did not make the top 20 most requested specialties in 2013. Anesthesiology, formerly a top recruiting assignment, also did not make the list.