Addressing Idaho's Primary Care Shortage: Dr. Jeffrey Singer on Assistant Physicians

In this interview, Dr. Jeffrey Singer, a practicing general surgeon and senior fellow at the Cato Institute, discusses the physician shortage in Idaho and potential solutions. Dr. Singer explains the current process of becoming a licensed physician, the bottlenecks in the residency program system, and how assistant physician programs can help alleviate the shortage by providing an alternative pathway to licensure. He also highlights the importance of market forces in ensuring the quality of healthcare providers and the potential benefits of implementing assistant physician programs in Idaho and other states facing physician shortages.

Resources
https://www.cato.org/events/expanding-access-primary-care-removing-barriers-assistant-physicians

https://www.cato.org/briefing-paper/expand-access-primary-care-remove-barriers-assistant-physicians

https://idahofreedom.org/deregulation-part-2-the-great-medical-residency-bottleneck/

Timestamps
00:00 Introduction of Dr. Singer
00:22 Dr. Singer’s Background and Expertise
00:54 Understanding the Physician Shortage in Idaho
01:20 National Trends and Causes of Physician Shortage
02:59 Solutions to Combat the Physician Shortage
08:37 Exploring the Assistant Physician Model
11:07 The Journey to Become a Doctor: Traditional vs. Assistant Physician Path
19:29 Challenges and Opportunities for Assistant Physicians
29:09 The Future of the Physician Shortage in Idaho
33:45 Conclusion and Final Thoughts