Sonora, CA…A new survey released this month by Merritt Hawkins, a national physician search firm, has found a 30 percent increase from 2014 to 2017 in the average wait time to schedule a new patient physician appointment in 15 of the largest cities in the nation. “Physician appointment wait times are the longest they have been since we began conducting the survey,” said Mark Smith, president of Merritt Hawkins. “Growing physician appointment wait times are a significant indicator that the nation is experiencing a shortage of physicians.”

The Merritt Hawkins survey of 1,414 physician offices in 15 large metropolitan areas tracks average new patient appointment wait times in five medical specialties: cardiology, dermatology, obstetrics/gynecology, orthopedic surgery and family medicine. Boston, Mass., is experiencing the longest average physician appointment wait times of the 15 metropolitan markets with an average wait of 109 days to see a family physician, 52 days to see a dermatologist, 45 days to see an OB/GYN, 45 days to see a cardiologist and 11 days to see an orthopedic surgeon.

“Finding a physician who can see you today, or three weeks from today, can be a challenge, even in large urban areas where there is a relatively robust supply of doctors,” said Smith. “The challenge becomes even more difficult in smaller communities that have fewer physicians per population.”

Like many other health care organizations across the country, Sonora Regional Medical Center is working diligently to bring more physicians to the community but facing the challenge of a decreasing pool of qualified candidates. In a study by the Association of American Medical Colleges, also released this month, research predicts a shortage of between 40,800 and 104,900 physicians in the United States by 2030, a deficit “fueled by population growth, an increase in the number of aging Americans, and retirement of practicing doctors.”

“Fortunately we have a lot to offer potential candidates – a wonderful community, state-of-the-art medical facilities and highly qualified and experienced staff,” explains Kathrina McRee, director of physician recruitment and community relations at Sonora Regional Medical Center. “Unfortunately the number of qualified physicians we are able to find and the competition we face from all of the other communities across the country pose considerable challenges for us.” Physicians must have specific qualifications to meet California licensing requirements. In addition, Adventist Health (the parent company of Sonora Regional Medical Center) has additional requirements that physician candidates be board eligible or board certified in order to ensure delivery of the highest quality care. And in Sonora, candidates must want to live in a rural area and show a desire to stay long term.

To boost efforts in finding more doctors to serve Tuolumne and Calaveras counties, Sonora Regional Medical Center hired an additional fulltime physician recruiter in January 2017 to focus mainly on the recruitment of primary care physicians. Other efforts include developing a team-based approach to care, leveraging the skills of advanced practice providers and improving the use of technology such as telemedicine. Nationally, there are also efforts to increase the number of medical residency positions to train more new doctors.

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About Sonora Regional Medical Center / Adventist Health Sonora
Sonora Regional Medical Center is a not-for-profit 152-bed health care facility including 72 acute beds, 12 swing beds, 68 skilled nursing beds and a large network of clinics, owned and operated by Adventist Health in Roseville, California. In addition to emergency and acute care services, other Sonora Regional Medical Center services include advanced cardiac care, cancer center, diagnostic imaging, home health, hospice, intensive care, obstetrics, rural health, surgical services, wellness center, wound care and hyperbaric oxygen, and over 20 primary care, urgent care and specialty clinics. The Medical Center provided care for 156,455 outpatient visits, 88,427 diagnostic imaging tests, 29,282 home care visits, 30,380 emergency department visits, and 4,433 hospital discharges in 2016. Staffed by over 180 physicians, 1,493 employees, and 121 volunteers, Sonora Regional Medical Center is the largest private employer in Tuolumne County. For more information about the Medical Center visit www.sonoramedicalcenter.org.

About Adventist Health
Adventist Health is a faith-based, nonprofit integrated health system serving more than 75 communities in California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington. Our workforce of 32,900 includes more than 23,600 employees; nearly 5,000 medical staff physicians; and 4,350 volunteers. Founded on Seventh-day Adventist heritage and values, Adventist Health provides compassionate care in 20 hospitals, more than 260 clinics (hospital-based, rural health and physician clinics), 15 home care agencies, seven hospice agencies and four joint-venture retirement centers. In addition, the Adventist Health Plan serves patients in Kings County. Visit AdventistHealth.org for more information.