Small-town docs in short supply

Doctor writing prescription
Pediatrician Dr. Corder Campbell operates a hand held device to "e-prescribe" medication for his patients in his office at the Woodbridge Medical Center in Woodbridge, Virginia.
Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

A Minnesota doctor says the shortage of doctors choosing to practice general surgery has hit a crisis point in rural Minnesota.

Dr. Howard McCollister is codirector of the Minnesota Institute for Minimally Invasive Surgery in Crosby. He says medical school students are choosing specialty surgeries because the hours and money are better.

"What happens is that not only are fewer people going into general surgery, but fewer people that go into general surgery are going into rural practice. Minnesota is a state that has a relatively high degree of rurality. This becomes a problem," said McCollister.

General surgeons can operate on any part of the body, and are especially needed during emergencies, involving numerous injuries.

McCollister said insurance companies need to increase their reimbursements for surgeries those doctors perform.

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