Area residents likely will have to wait longer to see a doctor after another local physician reportedly announced she will leave the area.
Dr. Dianna Fury has accepted a position at the University of New Mexico and will leave in June, making her the third primary care physician to close doors in a year. Dr. Marcus Higi recently left to practice in New Mexico, and Dr. Leonard Cain stopped practicing for health reasons.
Fury could not be reached for comment.
Cindy Bradley, interim chief executive officer of Southwest Memorial Hospital, said the apparent doctor shortage is not unique to Cortez and might be a continuing trend as demand for primary care physicians increases.
People are really having to hunt to find a doctor, she said.
The problem is compounded by the ripple effects of federal health care programs and an aging demographic population, she said.
Bradley said she believes if the federal Affordable Health Care Act comes to fruition as planned in 2014, the additional people granted health insurance by the bill will create more demand for doctors.
Seeing a primary care physician will be particularly challenging for Medicare and Medicaid patients, many of which are seniors.
Fewer doctors are accepting Medicare patients due to difficulties in reimbursement from the program, Bradley said. She recommends Medicare patients contact Southwest Memorial Primary Care at 565-8556 and get on the waiting list. Additional nurse practitioners are expected to be staffed at the facility in coming months, she said.
Despite the apparent shortage of doctors, Bradley stresses the importance of having a primary care physician familiar with a patient, their conditions and their history who is able to provide follow-up treatment instead of a one-time fix.
Too often, patients with chronic illnesses such as diabetes end up going to the emergency room, she said.
They need a physician they can return to after theyve been hospitalized, she said. If youre sick enough to come to the hospital with your diabetes and be admitted, the hospital can take care of you, but you need some ongoing care in an ambulatory setting in a physicians clinic where someone is monitoring your blood sugar, and your insulin levels.
Enticing physicians to relocate to a new area in the current economic climate can prove challenging. With the national unemployment rate at 9.6 percent, it can be more difficult to find jobs for the doctors spouses, who often have professional jobs not available in rural areas, Bradley said.
Also, with a sluggish housing market nationwide, doctors might be reluctant to attempt to sell their old home to relocate.
Despite the challenges, Bradley said Mesa Verde, the quiet rural lifestyle and outdoor activities do offer some appeal to prospective doctors.
I think Cortez has a lot of things going for it that make it attractive, particularly for younger candidates, she said.
Bradley said the hospital hopes to recruit more family practitioners to the area within the next four to six months.
To fill the void left by a shortage of primary care physicians, Bradley said she foresees an expanded role for nurse practitioners in the future.
I think well see a lot more of them in a lot more places being used in a lot more ways in order to extend physician services and primary care services, she said.
Reach Reid Wright at reidw@cortezjournal.com.