Study: US faces shortage of 52,000 doctors by 2025

By Elise Viebeck - 11/20/12 06:15 PM ET

The United States will need about 52,000 new primary-care doctors as the population grows and ages, according to a new study.

Research published in the Annals of Family Medicine estimated that most of the doctor shortage will be caused by the rising U.S. population.

Aging adults and the expansion of healthcare coverage under the Affordable Care Act will contribute to a lesser extent, the study found.

Researchers predicted that the U.S. population will increase 15.2 percent by 2025, necessitating about 33,000 more physicians.

Aging adults will create the need for an additional 10,000 physicians in that period, while the Affordable Care Act will require about 8,000 more.

These figures will grow the current workforce by about 3 percent, the study said.

Fears about the looming doctor shortage are well-established.

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has estimated that the United States will be short more than 91,000 doctors by 2020 — 45,000 in primary care and 46,000 in surgery and medical specialties — as more Americans age.