AUSTIN, Texas — Since March, Johanna Jones has been having issues with her shoulder and has been looking to find a primary care doctor, spending weeks trying to find a physician accepting new patients.
So far, she's had no success.
"I started calling doctors' offices around town, and even when offices said that they were accepting new patients, they had no availability," Jones said. "So I tried a number of clinics in town. The soonest anyone could see me, and this is probably in April, was mid-July."
"They told me when I was talking to them that just there's a doctor shortage, that there's too many people in Austin and not enough doctors," Jones continued.
A report from the Texas Medical Association says it is a challenge for the state to recruit physicians to keep up with population growth. According to the numbers, there are about 198 doctors for every 100,000 Texans.
While the number has been steadily improving over the past decade – in 2014, there were 174 physicians for every 100,000 people – that number still falls well below the nationwide average ratio of 252 physicians for every 100,000 Americans.
"We're somewhere between 20% and 40% behind the pace for places that are more adequately staffed," Dr. Rodney Young, a member of the Texas Medical Association Board of Trustees, said.
Young said the primary care physician shortage is a complicated issue that involves the job facing more administrative work and lower pay compared to other specialties.
"There is a load of paperwork and prior authorization and approvals that need to happen, and that just takes a toll on the availability of the primary care practice to be there to treat patients," Young said. "And the more patients you have, the more of that avalanche that comes down on you."
As the state grows, Young said there is a need to find solutions to this issue, since building a robust primary care system is the foundation of a functional health care system – one that Texans like Jones desperately need.
"I might have ongoing shoulder problems for the rest of my life just because of the delay," Jones said.