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- New CAP-AAMC Study Reveals Pathologists Workforce Undercounted by Nearly 40%
A new study published by Health Affairs Scholar uncovers an undercount in the workforce of pathologists as a result of omitting subspecialized training over several years. In this paper, “Re-evaluation of the Methodology for Estimating the U.S. Specialty Physician Workforce,” the authors from the CAP and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) suggest revisiting methodologies and definitions responsible for tracking the physician workforce as similar undercounts may exist in other physician specialties.
The Physicians Specialty Data Reports of the AAMC are a key source of standardized, consistently published estimates of physician supply in the United States. The AAMC’s specialty-specific physician workforce estimates serve the workforce research community, physician specialty societies, and policymakers seeking detailed data on how many and what types of physicians are in practice, and thus how many more may be needed to meet the nation’s medical care needs. By 2020 AAMC’s report for pathologists was undercounted by 39%.
“The CAP appreciates the collaboration with our colleagues from AAMC to revisit this issue and outline solutions to better ensure an accurate count of pathologists in the workforce,” said Donald Karcher MD, FCAP President of the CAP and study coauthor. “The data produced from workforce counts influences decisions on multiple levels, including decisions to allocate resources by the federal government. Ultimately, it’s important that we get this right, so we ensure we are training enough pathologists to meet the demands of the US patient population.”