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The coming physician shortage What are the issues? By Nate Mussell, JD
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ealth care has been at the center of federal and state politics for decades. No matter which way the political winds are blowing, health care in Minnesota and the rest of the country has been in a state of change for several years. While much of the attention recently has focused on the Affordable Care Act and the ever-changing environment in which it continues to operate, there are a number of fundamental issues that Minnesota will face in the coming years. One issue that has garnered significant attention recently is whether the state will have the workforce in place to meet the growing health care demands.
Maintenance of certification Is MOC necessary for lifelong learning? By Jon Thomas, MD, MBA
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aintenance of certification (MOC) means different things to different people. Currently much press has been given to the cynical and the skeptical. To the cynical it simply represents an opportunity for the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), and its specialty member boards, to gouge physicians by mandating allegedly expensive and irrelevant educational programs. To
the skeptical it foists an unproven process with the overly optimistic claim of improved patient outcomes. Both positions are untenable. MOC is, first and foremost, a form of continuous professional development, which is a structured approach to education, learning, and practice improvement to ensure a phyMaintenance of certification to page 10
There seems to be a general consensus in Minnesota that the state will face a physician shortage in the very near future as more physicians reach the age of retirement and fewer new graduates and residents fill those gaps. Although the numbers vary based on who does the analysis, most people who have looked at the issue in recent years, including the Minnesota Medical Association and The coming physician shortage to page 12