A March 2024 report by the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC ) predicts the U.S. will face a shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036, with challenges even more dire in underserved communities. An estimated 20,200-40,400 primary care physicians will be needed to meet patients’ needs, and shortages are also likely among key medical specialists (critical care, pulmonology, endocrinology, emergency medicine, etc.). An aging population and the looming retirement of older, still-practicing physicians is behind the shortage. Many of the AAMC’s recommendations are already in play at RelyMD, including innovation in patient care delivery, greater use of technology, and efficient use of a wider range of professionals on the health care team.

Virtual visits can support a variety of health care encounters beyond illness, including prescription refills, patient education and the ability to respond to regional outbreaks (e.g., influenza, norovirus, pneumonia, etc.). One of the advantages of telehealth, Accilien points out, is the provider’s ability to interact with patients in their home/family environment – encounters that often give on-screen clues to lifestyle issues, family dynamics or socioeconomic factors that might play a role in a patient’s, child’s or family’s health. “Virtual health can sometimes make things more difficult to assess, but it also gives you a little more insight,” he explains. “I think virtual care has made me a better physician.”

Another major factor supporting increased telehealth access is the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLCC), implemented in 2017 to enable licensed physicians to practice telehealth medicine across state lines. More than half of all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and Guam now participate in IMLCC’s voluntary interstate physician licensure compact, and other states are in the process of enacting it, according to the IMLCC website. Eligible physicians can complete a single IMLCC application; if approved, they receive separate licenses from each state in which they intend to practice. “Telehealth has been a huge add-on,” Dr. Accilien explains. “Even though I’m based in Georgia, I can take care of someone in Illinois via telehealth as long as my license is recognized by Illinois. Virtual health has opened avenues for patients to get the care they need when they need it. The practice of medicine varies a little, depending on specific localities, but the majority of medicine is the same.”

“I think people make the mistake of believing that everyone in the U.S. has access to virtual care,” he points out. “I’m based in Atlanta, and I can drive in almost any direction 30 miles from here and probably find someone who doesn’t have internet access. A number of socioeconomic factors impact patients’ access to health care, and internet access is still an issue. But that doesn’t mean technology isn’t helping. For people who do have internet access, telehealth and virtual visits have made access easier.”

The availability of more nurse practitioners (NP) and physician assistants (PA) to provide care is bolstered by a greater patient involvement in their care, says Accilien: “People are becoming more intentional about their health. They care about it, and if we in the medical profession can make it easier to speak to a doctor or trained health care professional, people are more inclined to take advantage of new services.”

More than 45% of U.S. patients have some chronic condition, whether hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, obesity or respiratory disease, says Dr. Accilien. “These people call in  all the time, and even though we focus on acute, unscheduled care at RelyMD, chronic conditions tend to fall into the mix, because people have such poor access to local medical care when they need it.”