Writing in today’s Wall Street Journal, Dr. Herbert Pardes, president and CEO of New York-Presbyterian Hospital, brings up a topic that has not received enough attention in the health care reform debate: the shortage of physicians.

Of course, an overhaul of the health care delivery system could decrease the demand for physician services as a team-based approach to care supplants the current physician-centric model. But the legislation currently being considered will not transform the industry in that way, so the greater number of insured patients is likely to increase demand for physician services.

The law of supply and demand suggests that physician pay will have to increase to assure an adequate supply of  physicians. On its face, an overall increase in physician pay would appear to be in conflict with the goal of decreasing health care costs.Do you think Dr. Pardes is right with this comment?

To address the shortage of doctors and the incentives that compel young doctors to eschew primary care, Congress needs to think about how to increase doctor pay, institute malpractice reform, and provide subsidies to reduce the amount of debt doctors have to take on. Residency caps should also be raised so teaching hospitals can train more doctors. Without these actions new doctors would be foolish to enter primary care, and thankfully our medical schools do not recruit foolish people.