Fractional Urology Coverage Helps Hospitals Meet a Growing Need Amidst Nationwide Shortages
Americans are aging, and they need more qualified urologists–but it’s becoming harder and harder for hospitals to find them. Over 61% of U.S. counties do not have a practicing urologist, leaving patients without care for clinically significant acute and chronic urinary conditions. The fractional urology coverage model can help keep care and revenue local, while ensuring patients can get the care, they need close to home.
Growing Gaps in Urology Care Access
Americans are aging, and they need more qualified urologists–but it’s becoming harder and harder for hospitals to find them.
Urologists are doctors who specialize in disorders of organs in both male and female patients including the kidneys, adrenal glands, ureters, urinary bladder, and the urethra, as well as the male reproductive organs, including the testes, epididymis, vas deferens, seminal vesicles, prostate and the penis. Furthermore, the urinary and reproductive tracts are closely linked, and disorders of one often affect the other. Therefore, urologists treat a wide swathe of illnesses and issues that exist under the domain of genitourinary disorders, including acute and emergent conditions (such as kidney stones), significant and sensitive quality of life conditions (such as urinary tract infections, bladder incontinence, and sexual dysfunction), and chronic conditions including cancers of the genitourinary tract such as prostate, bladder, kidney, and testis.
The need for reliable urology coverage in urban, rural, and suburban communities alike has never been more urgent. Some estimates say that 65% of urology services are utilized by patients aged 65 and older1. According to federal government data, Medicare enrollment is increasing by approximately 10,000 people per day2, which demonstrates how quickly the senior citizen population in America is growing.
Meanwhile, hospitals nationwide are struggling to meet patient demand for urology services. Extended gaps in coverage, and long waits to fill open urologist positions, can be disastrous. The longer hospitals go without a qualified urologist, the longer the delays are in care for patients with clinically significant acute and chronic urinary conditions, often leading to adverse clinical outcomes. Patients who are able to travel longer distances for care will do so, leading to patient outmigration. This all results in lost revenue for hospitals, which need to be able to keep care and revenue local in order to continue serving their communities.
Why America is Facing a Shortage of Urologists
For context, it’s important to remember that America is facing a growing shortage of all types of physicians, in every specialty. Last year, the American Association of Medical Colleges predicted that there would be a shortage of up to 64,000 physicians in the U.S. That number is expected to grow to around 86,000 by 20363. Multiply that by the number of patients seen by every physician in the U.S., and that’s tens of millions of patients nationwide unable to access the care they need in their community.
The reasons for this physician shortage are many and complex. However, there are a few primary culprits.
First, around 20 percent of current practicing physicians are aged 65 or older, on the verge of retirement, which means many health systems are on the brink of losing a large part of their workforce. At the same time, the number of urology residency positions has not kept pace with the increased demand, leading to less trained urologists entering the workforce than is needed. Meanwhile, their patient population is getting older, too, developing more complicated medical issues just as there are fewer doctors to go around, particularly in specialties like urology that cater to older adults. According to the Population Reference Bureau, the number of Americans aged 65 is expected to rise to 23 percent of the population, from 17 percent, by 20504.
Hospitals were already struggling to regain steady financial footing after the Covid-19 pandemic–and now they are dealing with seismic shifts in healthcare policy, especially regarding Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement. These changes require doctors to spend more time on administrative and billing tasks, working more hours while being reimbursed less for their services, all while trying to see existing patients, conduct scheduled procedures, and take emergency call5.
Fewer physicians, more patients needing care, and increased regulatory, administrative, and policy burdens have put unprecedented pressure on practicing physicians. The increased strain on the existing physician population is leading to record levels of burnout, especially in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the immense challenges it brought to the healthcare industry. Even before the pandemic, physicians suffered high levels of job-related burnout and mental health challenges–for example, the rate of suicide among physicians is higher than even that of military combat veterans6. This is leading more physicians to retire early or see fewer patients.
It’s a bleak picture for hospitals, doctors, and patients alike. But there is a staffing model that can help restore care access to communities that need it, give physicians a sustainable work-life balance, and help hospitals keep care local while growing their revenue: the Surgicalist Model, or fractional physician coverage.
Synergy Health Partners already offers hospitals high quality talent at cost-effective rates through this fractional care model for specialties such as orthopedic, trauma, and general surgery, Critical Access anesthesia, and now urology.
Synergy Expands Fractional Coverage Model to Include Urology
This expansion was a strategic move to address one of the largest care gaps hospitals face. 61% of U.S. counties lack access to a practicing urologist, leaving millions of patients without timely, local care7.
“For many hospitals, urology coverage is a persistent challenge, impacting patient throughput, length of stay, and downstream revenue,” said Daniel Siegel, Chief Executive Officer at Synergy Health Partners. “By expanding into urology, we’re delivering on our promise to provide flexible, high-quality specialty staffing models that meet the evolving needs of healthcare organizations nationwide.”
Synergy Health Partners was founded by surgeons who understand the challenges physicians face throughout their careers–and the burnout many suffer after years of taking calls, growing administrative burdens, and more financial hurdles for hospitals.
Synergy’s urology program mirrors the company’s proven Surgicalist Model, offering hospitals a dedicated team of board-certified physicians embedded within the community. This approach ensures consistent, reliable coverage while fostering stronger collaboration, continuity of care, and hospitals’ ability to keep care local, rather than relying on expensive temporary locum tenens physicians.
Under the Synergy model, a dedicated care team of urologists will work in rotations to provide consistent and ongoing care each month. During this time, they see patients, take calls, and perform scheduled procedures. The Synergy fractional model allows them to spend less time on administrative tasks and more time practicing medicine. When they are off, they’re off, able to truly recharge and achieve more balance and fulfillment outside of work–whether that’s spending more time with family, traveling, or pursuing a hobby they love. Synergy doctors do not have to choose between being, for example, an accomplished urologist and an involved grandparent who runs marathons. This allows them to extend their career and work at a pace that works for them, just by traveling to a community near or far for a set amount of time on a regular basis.
For hospitals, fractional urology coverage means that they have consistent, qualified physicians on staff 24/7/365 or as needed, at a much more reliable, cost-effective rate. These physicians aren’t just long-term substitutes–they are embedded in the hospital community, serving on committees and attending staff meetings. Many Synergy physicians also become actively involved in the community surrounding their hospital, serving on committees and volunteering with charitable causes in the area during their off time.
Most importantly, for patients at hospitals with fractional urology coverage, this means that they won’t have to travel long distances or endure extensive wait times to see a doctor. This is especially important for older adults who may have more challenges driving or accessing transportation and would much prefer to see a urologist in their own community for their healthcare needs.
With the addition of urology, Synergy now offers a full spectrum of embedded surgical solutions—including general surgery, trauma surgery, orthopedic surgery, anesthesiology, gastroenterology—designed to enhance patient outcomes through consistent, community-based care.
“Our goal is simple: to help hospitals deliver timely, high-quality surgical care with fewer operational headaches,” added Siegel. “Expanding into urology is a natural next step in serving that mission.”
Synergy Health Partners is proud to offer urology solutions for hospitals nationwide that need access to cost-effective solutions that help them grow the bottom line while providing quality care.
To learn more about fractional staffing solutions for urology at Synergy Health Partners, please contact us here.
Sources:
1. Health Policy 2016 – Implications for Geriatric Urology
2. 10,000 People Are Now Enrolling In Medicare – Every Day
3. New AAMC Report Shows Continuing Projected Physician Shortage
4. Fact Sheet: Aging in the United States
5. The U.S. Physician Shortage Is Only Going to Get Worse. Here Are Potential Solutions
7. The American Urological Association Releases 2024 AUA Census Results
