8 ms·
The residency system needs to go. This is the major bottleneck. Too much innovation is held back because the supply of doctors is just too constrained via educa
by ampdepolymerase 5y ago
The residency system needs to go. This is the major bottleneck. Too much innovation is held back because the supply of doctors is just too constrained via education through apprenticeship. If the only profitable job in life science is medicine (the physician track), then all those equally talented people who lose the rat race for one reason or other would be forced to seek other careers.
- lotsofpulp 5y agoWe are already increasing supply of healthcare providers, via price discrimination. You want the most highly qualified? Pay for concierge healthcare. You want mostly MDs? Pay for more expensive health insurance that compensates healthcare providers more. You need to save money? Pay for less expensive health insurance that reimburses healthcare providers less, and you get to see a nurse practitioner/physician assistant.
- sokoloff 5y agoProbably 80% of my healthcare professional needs can be met by a nurse practitioner or PA. (When I was younger, this was probably more like 95%. As I get older or sicker, that percentage will fall.)
- lotsofpulp 5y agoMaybe. The difference is more in the probability of getting someone who is less capable or otherwise undesirable since the barrier to entry to NP/PA is so much lower.
- dcolkitt 5y agoWe don’t even need to eliminate residency. Just eliminate the requirement that the residency must be in the US. There’s a mountain of highly qualified Turkish, Russian, Korean, and Mexican doctors who are ready and willing to practice in the US.