Healthcare Reform: Innovations Address Shortage of Doctors

Already, there are not enough doctors. When 34 million additional people become insured, the doctor supply will be overwhelmed by patient demand. The most critical shortage will be in primary care, partly because fewer new doctors choose general practice since specialties pay more. Can nurse practitioners do much of what doctors do now? Can communications technology cut down on face-to-face meetings? Can patients with similar ailments, including chronic disease, meet with doctors in groups? We hear about these and other strategies.