Kentucky lost nearly 600 physicians between the years 2019 and 2022. That’s according to Patrick Padgett, the executive director of the Kentucky Medical Association, who testified before the Interim Joint Committee on Health Services in Frankfort Wednesday. We asked him what that means for health care in the commonwealth.
"Means that people have to wait longer to see a physician. I think that anyone around the state who tries to get in to see a physician, whatever the physician specialty, wherever they're located, when you have to wait weeks, or sometimes months to get in to see a physician, you're experiencing this problem."
Padgett said Kentucky doctors' chief complaint is administrative barriers, especially obtaining prior authorizations for their patients.
“And not just prior authorizations for if you're taking, say, if you're taking a medication for the first time, a patient might be on a medication for months or even years. And suddenly, they have to go through the prior authorization process again.”
Padgett said the KMA backed legislation during this year’s General Assembly session that would have created a gold card program for doctors. It would have let those with a certain level of approval for prior authorizations not have to go through the process for a year. The bill made it out of committee, but didn’t pass the full General Assembly.
** WEKU is working hard to be a leading source for public service, fact-based journalism. Monthly sustaining donors are the top source of funding for this growing nonprofit news organization. Please join others in your community who support WEKU by making your donation.
