Obama Healthcare Legislation Exacerbates Impending Physician Shortage: Innovative Teleradiology Technology Compensates for Physician Shortage

Fox Business Network Documentary Shows How Musculoskeletal Imaging Consultants Utilizes Telecommunications Software to Provide Expert Radiology Services to Physicians and Imaging Centers Experiencing US Physician Shortage

SAN ANTONIO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Musculoskeletal Imaging Consultants (MSKIC) will appear on Fox Business Network’s re-airing of the “Inside Business with Fred Thompson” documentary on May 1, 2010 at 4PM EDT.

“There is an impending physician manpower shortage exacerbated by the Obama healthcare plan”

MSKIC, an innovative teleradiology company that leverages technology to disseminate expert radiology consulting and medical image interpretive services to medical communities throughout the United States, compensates for an impending physician shortage* expected by President Obama’s healthcare plan.

“There is an impending physician manpower shortage exacerbated by the Obama healthcare plan,” said Dr. Douglas K. Smith, owner of MSKIC. “The increased demand for medical care by millions of newly insured will add to the increasing medical needs of retiring Baby Boomers. Existing physician numbers cannot meet this new demand.”

MSKIC utilizes web-conferencing techniques, voice-recognition technology, and secure transmission of electronic medical records to establish a “virtual presence” in medical communities experiencing a shortage of experienced subspecialty radiologists.

ABOUT THE PHYSICIAN SHORTAGE:

* The American Association of Medical Colleges projected a physician shortage of up to 159,000 by 2025 prior to passage of Universal Health Care and has projected an additional 25% after millions are added to the ranks of insured. USA Today reports the shortage will worsen as 79 million baby boomers reach retirement age and demand more medical care.

In 1997, Congress projected a future physician glut and reduced the federal subsidy for physician residency positions and effectively decreased the number of physicians trained per year. Instead Congress created a physician shortage that materialized before the retirement of Baby Boomer physicians and passage of universal health care. Practicing physicians have partially compensated for this shortage by working more hours and delaying retirement. As Baby Boomer physicians start retiring in the next few years, there will a dramatic decline in physician numbers and the average experience of practicing physicians. To make matters worse, two recent surveys of physicians (The Medicus Firm and IBD/TIPP) report that 33% to 45% of responding physicians wanted to quit medical practice if the health reform bill passed.

At least 10 years are required to train a physician from medical school through residency. Even if there is an immediate dramatic increase in physician training, there would be a decade before new physicians affect the physician shortage. Loss of our most experienced radiologists to retirement compounds the problems of physician shortage. Newly trained physicians need the guidance of seasoned radiologists and they are not available in many locations. Teleradiology expands influence of experienced radiologists to medical groups and imaging centers by allowing a single radiologist to provide service in multiple communities with manpower and/or experience shortage throughout the country.

ABOUT MSKIC:

Musculoskeletal Imaging Consultants (MSKIC) is a national subspecialty musculoskeletal teleradiology service and is licensed to practice in 35 states. MSKIC specializes in the interpretation of spine and orthopedic MRI examinations for orthopedic and spine surgeons with in-office MRI scanners and radiology groups with shortage of musculoskeletal radiologists. MSKIC uses eRAD teleradiology software to accomplish this teleradiology service. Fox Business Network re-airs a documentary about MSKIC on “Inside Business with Fred Thompson” on May 1, 2010 at 4PM EDT. This documentary shows how teleradiology compensates for the impending physician shortages using web conferencing technology to create a “virtual presence” with interactive consultation with physicians throughout the US. MSKIC is a model of how teleradiology and telemedicine can serve as a solution to the impending crisis in physician manpower.

For more information: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100226005274/en/Obama-Promise-Health-Care-Cost-Savings-Efficiency

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