An independent physician workforce study confirms what the KMA and patients have known for years – Kentucky does not have enough doctors. The study, implemented by the Kentucky Institute of Medicine (KIOM), revealed that Kentucky currently needs 2,298 more active physicians to match the national average. The current physician to population ratio ranks the Commonwealth as the 32 nd lowest among the 50 states. There are currently 8,981 physicians in Kentucky, which has a population of more that 4 million.

The study indicates that, by 2020, 13,422 active physicians will be required in Kentucky to meet the projected need to guarantee access to healthcare based on existing standards and, with increased demand for services factored in, the state would need 14,989 physicians. However, it is projected that the supply of active physicians in Kentucky in 2020 will fall short, with 12,846 expected to be practicing in the state.

In addition to identifying Kentucky's physician shortage, the KIOM task force who supervised the study made several recommendations for improving the physician practice climate in Kentucky. Among the recommendations were strategies to increase the supply and correct the maldistribution of physicians, medical school debt relief, reform of the state's broken medical liability system, and increased support of state medical schools and residency programs.

The KMA Physician Workforce Committee recommended the study, which was funded by the Rural Kentucky Medical Scholarship Fund. To see the entire report go to http://www.kyiom.org.

View the October 5, 2007, article about the study in the Lexington Herald-Leader.

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