MINNESOTA
FEBRUARY 2018
PHYSICIAN
THE INDEPENDENT MEDICAL BUSINESS JOURNAL
Volume XXXI, No. 11
Leveling the playing field The promise of parity in mental health care BY SUE ABDERHOLDEN, MPH “We cannot access a psychiatrist in our area—the ones that exist are not taking new patients.” “My daughter had a crisis and visited the ER three times before being able to get an appointment with a clinic.” “The intake session was scheduled quickly, but the follow-up therapy visit was a month out.” “When I am in crisis it is hard to get in quickly so I can talk to someone before things escalate.”
T
hese are just some of the many comments NAMI Minnesota received last fall in response to a survey assessing access to mental health care. It is no secret that accessing mental health treatment when and where you need it is difficult and sometimes nearly impossible. This is true for care at every level—outpatient, day treatment, in-home, residential, and hospitalization. Lack of access leads to poor outcomes and utilization of
Physician shortages in Minnesota Significant regional variation BY TERI FRITSMA, PHD
M
innesota produces roughly 500 new physicians each year, but loses an estimated 630, due primarily to retirements (and secondarily to burnout). These counts are based on the total number of Minnesota residencies, on the one hand, and physicians’ own reports on how long they plan to remain in the workforce, on the other. It is not much of a stretch to conclude that if the numbers of physician entries and exits remain constant in Minnesota, the net size of its workforce will shrink appreciably over time. Conversely, the state’s population is aging faster than ever and its health needs Physician shortages in Minnesota to page 104
Leveling the playing field to page 124