U.S. Physician Shortage Impacts Employee Health: WorkCare Helps Fill the Void 

A growing national shortage of physicians, including occupational and environmental medicine (OEM) doctors, has a direct, compounding impact on the ability of employers to protect the health and safety of employees. WorkCare’s Founder, Chief Medical Officer, and Executive Chairman Peter P. Greaney, M.D., saw it coming.  

Dr. Greaney started WorkCare as a consulting firm associated with his clinic-based occupational health practice in 1984. With foresight, he hired OEM physicians to provide clinical leadership for WorkCare and established the foundation for an enduring, multi-disciplinary service delivery model to help employers provide quality care to employees by streamlining access to experienced occupational health providers.  

Under Dr. Greaney’s leadership, the company has adopted technology-driven solutions, including secure communication and digital recordkeeping systems, while ensuring regulatory compliance. To remain relevant and progressive in the marketplace, he said WorkCare is investing in AI platforms and technology to help reduce administrative burdens. This includes using: 

• Ambient listening applications to record clinician and employee conversations and auto-populate electronic medical records.  
• Large language models (LLMs) at the point of care for clinical decision support and review, and to summarize medical records.  
• AI-driven analytics to find common features in multiple employee records from similarly exposed occupational groups or work teams.  

While Dr. Greaney anticipates a need to recruit additional occupational health physicians to staff on-site clinics and provide other dedicated-employer support, he said “the efficiencies we have seen with AI adoption in our legacy exam review and injury management programs have already freed up existing physician resources to deploy into other aspects of our business.”  

The Physician Shortage is Real and Growing 

“Occupational medicine physicians report one of the highest satisfaction indices and lowest burnout among medical specialties and enjoy a robust market of available positions, yet there is a long-standing shortage of formally trained OEM physicians, well-documented by the National Academy of Medicine.”

– ACOEM guidance statement on the Future of Occupational Medicine

Numerous complex factors are driving the U.S. physician shortage. They include: 

• Aging of the population, including the physician workforce; about 20% of Americans are projected to be over 65 by 2030. 
• Resource constraints, medical school debt, and fewer residency positions available to graduates.  
• Preferences to practice in cities or upscale communities rather than in rural or under-served areas. 
• Time spent on administrative tasks such as recordkeeping, utilization review, insurance, and reimbursement issues. 
• Increasing demand for mental health services and management of chronic diseases that increase morbidity. 

Ten years ago, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) projected a net workforce reduction of 891 physicians (33%) from 2015 to 2025. While ACOEM once estimated that about 3,500 board-certified OEM physicians were practicing in the U.S., that number has been dwindling. It is among organizations that have lobbied for increased federal government support of residency programs. 

Physicians who practice primary care, family or emergency medicine are often expected to perform employment-related physical exams and provide work-related injury care in place of OEM-trained physicians – and that pool is shrinking, too. For example, a 2024 Yahoo/YouGov poll found that 20% of U.S. adults do not having a primary care physician for their personal healthcare needs. Other studies have shown that a third of the adult U.S. population does not have access to a primary care doctor.  

Here are some additional statistics related to the national shortage of physicians that serve as a wake-up call: 

• Americans wait an average of three to four weeks to see a doctor for a non-urgent care visit, with longer waits common for certain types of specialty care, according to AMN Healthcare’s 2025 Survey of Physician Appointment Wait Times.  
• In 2024, the Association of American Medical Colleges projected a deficit of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036.  
• Last year the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration projected a shortfall of 187,130 full-time equivalent (FTE) physicians by 2037 in 31 out of 35 medical specialties (not including OEM) and a shortage of 19,000 physicians with primary or mental health care experience. 
• By 2030, studies show that 23 states will have a significant physician shortage and 30 states will a have significant nurse shortage, according to an analysis of Physician Employment in America, published in the journal of The Society of Laparoscopic & Robotic Surgeons.  

How WorkCare Helps Fill the Void 

In some instances, WorkCare providers find that the only time some job applicants and employees see a doctor is when they need a required physical exam. A medical surveillance exam may be the only way a chronic condition like hypertension or diabetes is detected. Certain underlying medical conditions are associated with increased risk of injuries, illnesses, and prolonged recovery times. 

When an injury occurs, providing the “right care, at the right time, in the right setting” – not less or more care than is needed – is a core value at WorkCare. This approach is repeatedly proven to produce favorable health outcomes for employees and cost-effective business results for employers because it places an emphasis on illness and injury prevention and immediate care guidance when a work-related incident occurs.  

WorkCare providers focus on ensuring supervisors and frontline workers understand what to expect during the recovery process after an injury. By expediting access to appropriate care and supporting a safe return to work, we offer employees the reassurance they need to aid their recovery. WorkCare OEM physicians consult on injury cases, review medical exam results, guide return-to-work planning, and coordinate with external treating providers. 

Acting in their capacity as medical directors, WorkCare “occ docs” advise companies on critical matters such as workplace hazard exposure risks and mitigations, medical protocols and best-practice guidelines, and clinically sound ways to reduce workers’ compensation claim rates, OSHA-recordable incidents, and productivity loss.  

To provide the full scope of coverage required by clients in all types of industries, WorkCare also deploys occupational health nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, first responders, wellness educators, and industrial injury prevention specialists (athletic trainers) under the supervision of physicians.  

“I am in favor of using allied health professionals throughout our business to engage with employees, answer health-related questions, and provide appropriate resources to prevent and resolve health-related issues” while further expanding the continuum of care, Dr. Greaney said.  

WorkCare provides access to qualified providers on-site and remotely via its 24/7 Injury Care telehealth applications. When a medical monitoring exam, drug test, or medical treatment is needed and the client does not have an on-site clinic, WorkCare refers employees to qualified local providers in our national clinic network. 

Delayed care is frustrating for all parties. It can lead to higher workers’ compensation claim rates, more OSHA-recordable incidents, increased litigation, and poor health outcomes. That’s why our delivery model features multiple ways to engage  with licensed occupational health providers.  

How to Learn More 

When asked about his anticipated legacy, Dr. Greany says he “would like to be known for early adoption of AI to improve access to care and improve quality and clinical outcomes.” To learn more about the how WorkCare is combatting the national shortage of physicians, contact us. 

Value of Occupational Medicine Providers  

Multiple studies show that injured employees who are seen first by an OEM provider often experience faster recovery and shorter disability durations than those seen by providers without OEM training and experience. OEM physicians and allied professionals understand how to navigate applicable workplace legal, regulatory, environmental, and cultural nuances in ways that other types of physicians do not. This table features examples of the value OEM physicians bring to the workplace.