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Physician shortage especially acute in rural areas of state.

Article Excerpt
It can be difficult enough to have an adequate supply of physicians in urban areas of the state where doctors have access to the latest technology at large hospitals. In rural areas, there simply aren't enough doctors to go around.

"In Mississippi's rural areas, access to healthcare--especially primary care physicians--is a growing concern," said Shawn Zehnder Lea, vice president for strategic communications, Mississippi Hospital Association. "University of North Carolina researchers have found that only 11% of physicians nationally are located in rural areas, but 20% of the U.S. is considered rural. And Mississippi is largely a rural population."

In 2004, Merritt, Hawkins & Associates, a healthcare staffing and consulting firm, published, "Will the Last Physician in America Please Turn off the Lights? A Look at America's Looming Doctor Shortage." Lea said the authors predict there will be a shortage of 90,000 to 200,000 physicians and that average wait times for medical specialties are likely to increase dramatically beyond the current range of two to five weeks.

"Even before Hurricane Katrina, Mississippi was facing a shortage of physicians," Lea said. "Findings presented in a 2003 white paper by the Health Policy Research Center at Mississippi State University indicate an 'extant physician shortage will become more severe.'...

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