You offer health insurance. You promote wellness programs. Yet your employees still can’t get a doctor’s appointment when they need one. Delayed care leads to higher absenteeism, lower productivity, and frustrated workers.
Indiana’s physician shortage is making it harder for employees to access basic healthcare services. Many employers are surprised to learn that offering health benefits isn’t enough—employees need timely access to care if those benefits are going to make a difference.
In this article, we explain why your employees can’t get a doctor’s appointment, how the physician shortage impacts your business, and what you can do to make sure your team gets the care they need.
What’s Causing the Physician Shortage in Indiana?
The shortage of primary care doctors isn’t new. But it’s getting worse every year. More physicians are leaving the profession, fewer are entering it, and the demand for care keeps climbing.
This shortage isn’t just about numbers—it’s about availability. When there aren’t enough physicians to meet demand, employees experience delays, have reduced access to preventative care, and often forgo treatment altogether.
Here’s what’s driving the physician shortage in Indiana:
- Aging Physician Workforce: Nearly half of Indiana’s physicians are over age 55. Many are retiring, and not enough new doctors are stepping in to replace them.
- Medical School Bottlenecks: Medical school enrollment has increased, but there aren’t enough residency slots—particularly in primary care. Without completing a residency, graduates can’t practice.
- Burnout and Early Retirements: Administrative burdens, long hours, and pandemic-related stress have driven many physicians to cut back hours or leave practice entirely.
- Rural and Underserved Areas: Many Indiana communities lack incentives to attract and retain doctors. As a result, your employees may be competing for appointments with fewer available providers.
Without intervention, the shortage will continue to grow. For employers, this means longer wait times for employees, delayed treatment, and worsening health outcomes. Businesses that acknowledge and address this challenge now will be better positioned to support their workforce and avoid costly healthcare-related disruptions.
How the Physician Shortage Impacts Indiana Businesses
When your employees can’t see a doctor, it affects more than their health. It affects your company’s bottom line and ability to stay competitive. Delayed access to care results in higher healthcare costs, lost productivity, and employee frustration.
For businesses, this creates a cycle of reactive problem-solving—managing absenteeism, covering shifts, and dealing with rising healthcare costs—rather than focusing on growth and stability. These disruptions pull resources away from core operations and make it harder to invest in your people and long-term growth initiatives.
Here’s how why your employees can’t get a doctor’s appointment becomes your problem:
- Increased Absenteeism: Employees delay care until their conditions worsen, leading to more sick days or unplanned absences.
- Reduced Productivity: Workers dealing with unresolved health issues are less focused, less engaged, and less productive on the job.
- Higher Healthcare Costs: Delayed treatment often leads to more severe (and expensive) health events. Emergency room visits and hospital stays cost far more than preventative care.
- Frustration and Turnover: Employees who can’t access timely care may become frustrated with their benefits—or your company. This frustration can lead to turnover.
Limited access to primary care increases the risk of high-cost claims, disrupts workforce stability, and weakens employee satisfaction. Employers that proactively solve access issues will strengthen employee trust, reduce claims, and enhance overall morale, contributing to a more engaged and productive team.
What Indiana Employers Can Do to Improve Access to Care
While you can’t control the number of practicing physicians in Indiana, you can take steps to ensure your employees have better access to care.
Organizations that make access to care a priority create competitive advantages in attracting and retaining top talent. These strategies don’t just address immediate health concerns—they build long-term loyalty and stability. The ability to offer consistent, reliable care access can position you as an employer of choice in a competitive labor market.
1. Build Relationships with Local Clinics
Partner with local clinics, health systems, or community health centers to prioritize your employees for care.
This approach often leads to faster appointment availability, better continuity of care, and improved health outcomes for employees. It can also reduce dependency on emergency rooms for routine health needs. Establishing strong relationships can open doors to tailored solutions and priority scheduling not available through traditional insurance networks. You can:
- Negotiate faster appointment scheduling.
- Offer on-site or near-site clinic access as part of your benefits package.
- Improve healthcare navigation by providing employees with trusted local options.
These relationships can reduce wait times and improve the overall care experience for your employees. Businesses that foster these partnerships often gain preferred access to services that support workforce health and productivity.
2. Educate Employees on Healthcare Navigation
Help employees understand how to make the most of their health benefits. Education empowers employees to take ownership of their healthcare decisions. When employees know how to efficiently navigate their healthcare options, they are more likely to seek timely treatment, avoid unnecessary costs, and stay engaged in their roles.
To improve healthcare navigation in order to reduce confusion, eliminate unnecessary claims, and increase employee satisfaction with their overall benefits package, you can:
- Provide clear guidance on when and how to use telehealth, urgent care, or primary care.
- Offer support resources to schedule appointments or access care quickly.
- Encourage proactive health management and routine screenings.
Educated employees are more likely to take advantage of available care options. This improves health outcomes, reduces absenteeism, and boosts employee satisfaction with their benefits. Companies that provide healthcare education and navigation tools see better employee engagement and lower healthcare costs in the long term.
Why your employees can’t get a doctor’s appointment isn’t a problem you can ignore. It’s an issue that directly impacts your business. Delayed care drives up healthcare costs, reduces productivity, and frustrates employees.
Indiana businesses that take action now can improve healthcare access for their employees and reduce the risks associated with delayed care. Investing in access solutions like building clinic partnerships and offering healthcare navigation support builds a healthier, more stable workforce. Employers who delay addressing healthcare access risk higher turnover, growing healthcare expenses, and falling behind competitors who prioritize employee well-being.
Ready to take control of healthcare costs and keep your workforce strong? Download our free guide, "The Employer’s Guide to Fixing Indiana’s Broken Healthcare System," and explore how leading Indiana businesses are doing it.
Please let us know if you have any questions. We understand that local companies have unique needs that most national firms don’t consider or struggle to identify. This leaves your people with a less effective, one-size-fits-all benefits plan. However, our ability to cater to the needs of our clients comes from decades of client partnerships. This perspective allows us to fully address unique needs and generate creative benefits plans.
You shouldn’t have to worry about just being a number, offering a generic plan, or getting the unique support you need. Call us today.
This Benefits Insights is not intended to be exhaustive nor should any discussion or opinions be construed as professional advice.