Brian Tedder

Challenges recruiting and retaining health care professionals in rural Massachusetts was the focus of an informal state legislature hearing held on Nov. 27 at the University of Massachusetts.

“Rural areas of our state are facing increasing difficulties attracting and keeping physicians and other health-care professionals,” said state representative Stephen Kulik of Worthington, vice chairman of the Committee on Health Care Finance. “What was once a challenge is becoming a crisis.”

According to a 2007 report from the New England Rural Health Roundtable, rural areas have not only fewer health care providers per capita, but a greater percentage of practitioners over age 50.

“With the ‘graying’ of the provider population, ensuring access to quality health care will become an increasing challenge,” said state representative Peter Kocot of Northampton.

The Massachusetts Medical Society released a study in July that said, “Massachusetts continues to experience physician shortages in primary care, psychiatry, and six other specialties that are adversely affecting patient access to care.”

The study also found that recruitment has become more difficult for 68 percent of teaching hospitals, 83 percent of community hospitals and 70 percent of practicing physicians in the state. After sorting the numbers by region, the study determined that in the Pittsfield region 87 percent of physicians reported that the pool of applicants is inadequate to fill vacancies, making it difficult to find quality health care professionals.

One problem of retaining health care workers is that an increasing number of pre-med students are going into other college majors. The cost of graduate and master’s medical degree programs often leaves students with loans well after they are done their education.

Kulik and state representative Chris Donelan of Orange have been crafting legislation that would focus on loan forgiveness as a possible strategy for attracting primary care physicians and other health care professionals to rural areas.

“We understand the growing need to bring not only doctors but nurses, dentists, mental health workers and other professionals to rural areas,” said Donelan. “We are aggressively pursuing legislative remedies and see forgiving education loans as a possible incentive for practicing in the state’s underserved rural areas.”

The problem of retaining health care professionals is not influenced by the hourly pay, which averages $37.75 in Massachusetts. The figure is second nationally to California.

However, according to a survey by the Massachusetts Hospital Association, Massachusetts hospitals made big gains in nurse recruitment last year. According to the survey, hiring climbed almost six percent during 2006, the biggest single-year growth in more than 10 years. The rate of hiring actually outpaced growth in patient volumes, the survey said.

“Massachusetts may be leading the nation in health care reform but we’re falling behind in a critical aspect of patient care, and that’s the supply of physicians,” said B. Dale Magee, M.D., president of the Massachusetts Medical Society.

“With an aging population, health care reform, and soaring rates of obesity and chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and arthritis, real questions are surfacing about whether enough physicians will be available in Massachusetts to handle the increased demand for health care services,” he said. “Adequate physician supply is essential to the success of health care reform, and our latest analysis raises a host of concerns.”

Andy Smith can be reached at [email protected].