Thirty-eight percent of counties have no surgeon

A new study published September twenty-eighth in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons found that thirty-eight percent of US counties, home to roughly fifteen million Americans, have no general surgeons.

Surgeons are vital to rural health

Dr. Thomas Tsai, medical director for health policy research at the American College of Surgeons, says access to surgeons is the keystone for the broader rural health care ecosystem.

“access to surgeons is the keystone for the broader rural health care ecosystem”

Huge disparities across the country

Surgeon supply in some specialties was twelve times higher in some regions than others. Rochester, Minnesota, where the Mayo Clinic is located, has two hundred fifty surgeons per one hundred thousand people, while Harlingen, Texas has just twenty.

Training cannot keep pace with demand

The American College of Surgeons projected that the US would face a shortage of nearly twenty-eight thousand surgeons by twenty thirty-eight as the country ages and needs more medical procedures.

Medicaid cuts could make it worse

The lack of surgeons in rural areas could worsen as H R one, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, is implemented across the country. It includes cuts to Medicaid and is projected to force many hospitals to close.

Telehealth and training could help

Doctors in other countries experiment with robotic surgeries through telehealth, but regulatory barriers prevent this in the US. More training for surgeons in rural areas could help them create roots and stay, Tsai says.