Tennesseans spend too much time trying to get healthcare, and even when they can get an appointment, it’s too costly, a new survey from The Harris Poll found. Asked to grade the healthcare system, more than 10% of patients gave it an “F.”
The Harris Poll findings illuminate challenges patients face every day to take care of themselves and their loved ones. The alarming poll results signal a need for immediate action to shore up the healthcare workforce and increase access to care for patients.
Fortunately, Tennessee residents agree that one solution is within grasp: removal of barriers for physician associates/physician assistants (PAs) to practice to the full extent of their education, training and experience. Eliminating legal constraints, including specific relationships between a PA, physician or other healthcare provider, would be a significant start.
The survey findings among Tennesseans are part of a national poll commissioned by the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA). Conducted Feb. 23-March 9, 2023, the poll surveyed 2,519 U.S. adults, including 505 in Tennessee. The American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) released the results on May 17, just days ahead of the AAPA’s annual conference held in Nashville this year where more than 6,500 PAs from across the country will gather.
Specifically, The Harris Poll found that 68% of Tennesseans worry about the impact of workforce shortages, and 47% are concerned about a lack of resources in their communities to keep people healthy.
This is not surprising. The healthcare workforce has been stretched thin for years. The COVID-19 pandemic made it worse, as clinicians and other healthcare providers left their jobs in droves, overwhelmed by stress and burnout.
Demographic changes in Tennessee will exacerbate the health workforce shortage, according to an October 2022 report by the Tennessee Hospital Association, which cited a 54% increase in the number of people aged 65 and older is projected by 2035.
The Harris Poll also exposed serious problems in care coordination; patients in Tennessee wait an average of 3.9 weeks for an appointment with a healthcare provider and spend on average eight hours per month coordinating care for themselves and their families.
Affordability is another barrier to healthcare for Tennesseans. More than seven in 10 said cost is a deterrent to getting health care, and 29% said that healthcare costs strain their or their family’s finances.
One survey participant in Tennessee, who gave the healthcare system an “F,” said it seems healthcare providers are more interested in getting paid than in making a patient well, which can mean going from doctor to doctor to address a single health problem.
In this environment, the patient said that when deciding whether to see a physician, she puts her mother’s needs before her own.
“If it comes down between my co-payment and my mom’s co-payment, I’m going to tell her, ‘You go, I’ll wait,’” she told The Harris Poll.
A stunning 48% of patients in Tennessee said they have skipped or delayed care in the past two years, citing worries about cost, difficulties finding time to see a provider or finding the appointment process to be too complicated or time-consuming.
When patients do get care in Tennessee, more than two-thirds say that providers seem more rushed, and half of them feel like they’re not always listened to.
The good news is that most Tennesseans, like most Americans, would trust a PA as their primary care provider, and patients who have a relationship with a PA are more likely to feel valued. The Harris Poll found that the public supports using PAs to help address the looming crises in healthcare.
In Tennessee, and throughout the U.S., lawmakers should listen to patients, understand their concerns, and remove barriers from PA practice so they can more fully and freely provide healthcare services to their communities.
