52,000 More Doctors Needed by 2024, New Study Finds

Population growth, increasing numbers of older U.S. residents and more access to health insurance under the Affordable Care Act will create demand for 52,000 more U.S. primary care physicians by 2025, according to a study published in the Annals of Family Medicine. Researchers estimated that U.S. residents made 462 million visits to PCPs in 2008 and will make 565 million visits by 2025. The additional visits will require a 3% increase in the health care provider workforce, according to researchers.

• "U.S. Will Need 52,000 More Family Docs by 2025: Study" (Seaman, Reuters, 11/16).