When the Bishop Family Health Center closed last month, hundreds of patients said they could find no new primary care doctors. Reports to Sierra Wave Media said the Rural Health Clinic would accept no new patients. The situation exists not from a lack of effort on the part of Northern Inyo Hospital. Administrator John Halfen explained that recruitment for primary care and other doctors goes on all the time with a varied success rate.
Administrator Halfen said he spends 20% of his time on physician recruitment. Part of the problem is a general shortage of doctors. The New York Times recently published a story that quoted the Association of American Medical Colleges as estimating that “In 2015 the country will have 62,900 fewer doctors than needed.” They say by 2025 that number will more than double.
The Family Health Center closure highlighted the lack of primary care doctors in Bishop. Halfen said he interviewed one candidate last Friday, and she has yet to make a decision. The Administrator said there are two others who would come to Bishop if they could sell their homes. Three more interviews are coming up. Halfen said, “It’s a difficult time for people to move.”
For many physicians the challenges of the Eastern Sierra do not make for a good choice – a lack of services, limited air service and hundreds of miles from larger cities.
Administrator Halfen said that any doctor recruited by the hospital is then regulated by the institution. He said, “Private doctors can be less constrained.” But these days, a solo practice has a hard time surviving. Government medical reimbursement rates have plummeted.
Halfen said all the doctors he’s talking to would have to practice from the Rural Health Clinic first and then choose whether to go to private practice. He said that more and more Nurse Practitioners are coming in to handle direct medical care under the supervision of two part-time doctors in the Rural Health Clinic.
ESL .. while I am not fan of Obama care either, your rants on this subject just doesn’t really apply, especially throwing in illegal aliens and IRS agents. C’mon! Sierragrl hit it pretty much on the head, Malpractice, cost of living .. Dr’s not wanting to generalize, rather want to… Read more »
Beautiful, fancy new building and facilities = higher health care costs for locals.
No need for City Council, John Halfin makes over 300k a year, he is surely capable. Oh wait, we still have a beautiful new building that cannot open. Lets blame the State one more time.
FYI, JJ, The new hospital building is on track for getting its final license.
Benett Kessler
I’m glad to hear their trying to find a doctor or two.. I think our city council should try to help.
Well written and informative article. It’s too bad that more doctors can’t be lured to Bishop; we really need them. I hope NIH is successful in its recruitment effort. We have so much to offer new doctors, not just in the way of outdoor activities, but in the varied population… Read more »
Ah yes, the proverbial conundrum of health care in America; and “Obama-Care”- which mandates that everyone prove health coverage (never mind that illegal aliens AREN’T required to prove citizenship) doesn’t mandate a single doctor or nurse in it’s bill. So with the additional ~25 million people covered without the increase… Read more »
Thanks for parroting some of the junk being spewed on TV these days. Personally, I prefer to think for myself. How would that mandate for new doctors and nurses look? A lottery (kinda like the hunger games, but no-one dies) is held and every 17 year old selected has to… Read more »
Well said. But you forgot about his main point that if the medical system has to treat everybody, then everybody gets less care — which must imply that we should deny a certain group of people health care so that a certain other group of people can get better care.… Read more »