As the supply of physicians lags behind patient demand across Louisiana and nationally, nurse practitioners are working to fill the gaps.
As the discrepancy between the number of doctors and need grows, patients end up waiting longer to see doctors — and doctors face burnout.
The U.S. is projected to have 120,000 too few doctors by 2035, with Louisiana projected to be short 4,820 doctors, according to the Cicero Institute. Already, Louisiana ranks in the bottom half of states for primary care and physician availability…