Outside of a billboard on the I-10, you may not have heard or seen much about the Debra H. and Robert J. Patrick Neuroscience Institute that’s coming this fall to the Ochsner Jefferson Highway campus, which is honestly crazy. This institute will mark a prominent entrance for our region into an area of healthcare that is growing at an astounding rate.
Driven by the fact that the number of Americans age 65 and up is expected to grow by 42% between 2022 and 2050, mixed with a wave of technological advancements, the neurology market just in the United States is expected to almost double in less than 10 years — from $4.19 billion this year to $8.07 billion in 2035. Neurosurgery is also counted among the most sought-after procedures by international patients.
The numbers are impressive, but they make sense. What didn’t make sense to me when I read the great piece by Keith Twitchell this month is that there is a massive shortage of neurologists. By 2036, the field is expecting shortages of anywhere between 13,500 and 86,000 physicians.
Why don’t we have enough practitioners? There are many reasons, from the rapid rise in our aged population, to the concentration of practitioners in urban areas to the need for better compensation — according to a 2024 compensation report by Medscape, pay for neurologists ranks in the bottom half of all specialties.
In addition, Congress put a freeze on federal support for residency programs back in 1997 that is still in place. This year, almost 9,700 physicians didn’t match into a residency.
There’s much that can be done to ensure those who need care in this country receive it. I hope this new institute makes a real difference for those in our region and helps advance care for all.
Thanks for reading,
