The COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating the shortage of physician specialists, with orthopedic surgeons projected to be in particularly short demand by 2025, according to Merritt Hawkins' 2021 Review of Physician and Advanced Practitioner Recruiting Incentives.
The report, released Aug. 9, estimates that there will be about 24,350 orthopedic surgeons in the U.S by 2025, but a projected demand for 29,400 — representing a deficit of 5,050.
By 2025, significant physician shortages are also expected in cardiology, ophthalmology and urology, among other surgical specialties, according to the report.
The demand for specialty physicians is expected to be a long-term trend generated by an aging U.S. population.