What are the economic costs of Georgia’s physician shortage?

Tripp Umbach, the nation’s leading medical education planning organization, estimates that a projected shortage of 1,500 primary care physicians in underserved areas would cost the State of Georgia $5.4 billion annually in delayed healthcare costs. According to Tripp Umbach, each physician that provides primary care in an underserved area saves the state $3.6 million annually for care that would have been provided in an emergency room. The full report can be found here.