Cecily O'Connor
RedwoodAge.com

A group of doctors will operate with a new objective: helping to prevent a shortgage of surgeons. 

The formation of Operation Patient Access comes at a time when a scarcity of surgeons in the US is a rising concern. Areas of surgery in which shortages are developing include: orthopaedic surgery, neurosurgery, urology, obstetrics-gynecology, and cardiothoracic surgery.

As shortages grow, access to care for boomers in both rural and urban areas of the US will suffer. Consider that six out of 10 boomers will have at least one chronic condition like diabetes by 2030, according to the American Hospital Association. Compounding that problem is that fact that older patients are living longer and have complex health needs - and will likely suffer more broken bones from falling.

"As policymakers examine how to reform this country's health care system in the midst of the current economic crisis, there is a growing concern that the focus on cost controls will dominate discussions and decisions to the extent that access to quality surgical care will be further compromised," said Dr. L.D. Britt, chair of the American College of Surgeon's board of regents.

All Access
Operation Patient Access is a collaboration of patients, surgeons, hospitals, public health and other providers. Among solutions being discussed by its participants are: increase the number of residency programs; expand the National Health Services Corps; establish student loan forgiveness programs; provide more funding for graduate surgical education; reduce liability cost; and implement alternative payment methods for health care.

A key reason that patient groups are coming out in support of Operation Patient Access is to make sure that there are enough well-trained surgeons available to provide quality surgical care to those who need it.

For example, the nation is facing a situation where 50 percent of the practicing cardiothoracic surgeons in this country are planning on retiring within 10 years, with more than 70 percent following within 13 years, said Dr. John Mayer, past president of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons and current chair of the Council on Health Policy and Relationships for the Society.

"This issue is compounded by the fact that we aren't getting enough trainees into our cardiothoracic surgery fellowship programs," he said. "Between 2002 and 2007, thoracic surgery has seen a drop of 24 percent in the number of first year trainees. This is a forbidding harbinger of things to come."