Rheumatologist shortage in U.S.
A recent Infobae report says the United States is experiencing a growing shortage of rheumatologists, with specialists clustered in cities and many rural areas facing limited access to autoimmune care. The story highlights rising demand for long‑term management of autoimmune conditions. (infobae.com)
Rheumatologists are in short supply across the United States, leaving many patients with autoimmune and inflammatory diseases waiting longer for specialist care, especially outside major cities. (rheumatology.org) Rheumatology is the specialty that treats immune-system diseases that attack joints, muscles, organs, and connective tissue, including rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, gout, and vasculitis. The American College of Rheumatology says there are more than 100 rheumatic diseases and conditions. (rheumatology.org) The patient pool is large and growing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 21.3% of U.S. adults had diagnosed arthritis in 2024, and the American College of Rheumatology’s state report card cites 58.5 million adults with a rheumatic disease, with a projection of 78.4 million by 2040. (cdc.gov) (rheumatology.org) Some of the sickest patients need repeated, long-term follow-up rather than one-time visits. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 204,000 people in the United States have systemic lupus erythematosus, and 9 out of 10 are women. (cdc.gov) Federal workforce data point to a broader access problem in the places patients already struggle to find doctors. The Health Resources and Services Administration said in its December 2025 workforce report that the United States is projected to face a shortage of 141,160 full-time-equivalent physicians by 2038, with nonmetro areas seeing greater shortages than metro areas. (bhw.hrsa.gov) The American Association of Medical Colleges counted 1,032,365 active physicians in 2024, but its dashboard publishes specialty and location data only for the largest fields with more than 2,500 active physicians. That means the national physician data system tracks the overall workforce well, while smaller specialties like rheumatology still require separate workforce studies and specialty-group estimates. (aamc.org 1) (aamc.org 2) The shortage is even more acute for children. A 2024 Pediatrics workforce study said pediatric rheumatology “does not meet the needs of children,” and estimated only 0.27 clinical workforce-equivalent pediatric rheumatologists per 100,000 children in 2020. (publications.aap.org) That study projected the pediatric rate would rise to 0.47 per 100,000 children by 2040, but still remain inadequate, with the biggest gaps in the South and West. The authors linked the shortage to retirements, limited awareness of the field, and lower pay than many other specialties. (publications.aap.org) Specialty groups have pushed telemedicine as one way to stretch scarce expertise across long distances, but not as a full substitute for in-person exams. In a 2020 position statement that the American College of Rheumatology still posts, the group said telemedicine can increase access for geographically distant patients, while warning that essential face-to-face assessments still need to happen at medically appropriate intervals. (rheumatology.org) The result is a simple mismatch: more Americans are living longer with chronic autoimmune disease, and too few rheumatologists are practicing where patients live. Until training, retention, and rural access improve, the shortage is likely to show up first as distance, delay, and fewer options for care. (rheumatology.org) (bhw.hrsa.gov)
