The numbers aren't promising.
Close to 38 percent of active physicians in the United States are nearing retirement age.
The rising cost of running a medical practice is increasing while doctors' revenue streams head south. And while more and more people are enrolling in medical school, fewer are going into general practice.
This could mean that routine and preventative care will be delayed, prescriptions will go unfulfilled and some patients simply won't receive care, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.
But for Dodge City Medical Center administrator Gene Dole, what experts are predicting nationwide is already happening in southwest Kansas.
"Pretty soon, the country will start seeing what we see here in Dodge," Dole said. "Those issues, that's what Dodge is feeling."
That's not to say that there aren't any doctors.
According to a recent study by the AAMC, first-year enrollment in medical school has steadily increased by 20 percent each year since 2002. But with the lure of more money and steadier hours, fewer graduates are going into general practice, preferring higher-paying subspecialties such as anesthesiology, neurology and surgery.
The need for primary care
When looking at health care in rural Kansas, it's important to first look at the nationwide shortage of primary care physicians. The largest deciding factor is most likely the focus on knowledge. While a urologist deals with one specific area of the human body, a primary care physician is the first line of defense for patients, requiring a general knowledge of a wide range of maladies.
Primary care physicians keep a list of patients whom they see on a regular basis for everyday medical needs: Physical checkups, routine procedures, et cetera. They're the ones who first diagnose problems and then refer their patients to other specialists.
For Bob Hostetler, a family practice physician at Dodge City Medical Center, it's a tough job that requires a solid general knowledge of medical sciences.
"We're often the first provider a patient comes to," he said. "We take care of probably 90 percent of problems a patient has. We address their specific needs, be it acute problems or chronic problems. I take care of babies up to older people."
But that level of general care can cause conflicts with hours younger doctors are willing to work.
In the past, primary care physicians often worked at their respective clinics between 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., plus weekend duties as well as call duty for area hospitals. AAMC studies have shown that these long hours have contributed to increased burnout among the doctors.
Coupled with the advent of diagnostic Web sites like WebMD.com and more medical students heading into subspecialties, it doesn't come as much of a surprise to some that general practitioners are a dying breed.
Which is all the more troubling, considering the role they play in preventive health care.
