Utah doesn't have enough OB-GYN doctors: And women's health might suffer as a result.

• Author: Myers, Sarah

ASK ANY WOMAN IN UTAH and she will tell you the same thing: getting an OB-GYN appointment is near impossible these days.

OB-GYNs are crucial to women's health. They screen for cancer, assist in pregnancy health, perform abortions and well-woman exams, treat chronic menstrual problems like pre-menstrual dysphoria disorder, and prescribe birth control. But right now, more than 50 percent of Utah OBGYN practices are at or near capacity, with a 21-day wait time for new patients, according to the Utah Medical Education Council.

"I think it comes down to supply and demand issues," says Dr. Heather Campbell, an OB-GYN physician at the University of Utah. "There are only so many faculty members and so many hours in a day. Right now, there are more patients than our resources can see in a timely fashion."

In 2018, The US Department of Health and Human Services reported that Utah was about 70 doctors short of meeting the state's OB-GYN demand, projecting that deficit to increase to 200 by 2030. Dr. Douglas Burgett and Dr. Javier Chavez, OB-GYNs at Granger Medical Clinic in Riverton and West Jordan, confirm this statistic. "I've been booked out for 2-3 months, says Dr. Burgett, who has been working with the clinic since 2004. "Right now, I'm 5-6 months for established patients."

Dr. Chavez's wait time is 2-4 months. He has been in private practice since 2015.

"The state of Utah has had one of the highest birth rates in the country for many years, and there is an ongoing need for OB-GYN care in Utah," Dr. Campbell says. "We know from several studies that Utah has fewer physicians per capita. That shortage is only expected to increase over the next 10 years."

She's right. Utah has 14.1 births per 1,000 people, far higher than the national average of 10.9 births per 1,000 people, according to the Complete Health Indicator Report in Utah's Public Health Data resource. As a result, many Utah physicians have established patients. "I've been around long enough to have a big patient base," says Dr. Burgett. "I've been seeing this [long wait time] for 2-3 years in my patient base. My colleague's wait time is around one year due to being in practice for a long time."

OB-GYNs are among the most overworked in the industry, working approximately 55.7 hours a week according to a Utah Medical Education Council report published in 2020. Thirty-two of those hours are directly involved with patients. "I think there's a view that doctors make it hard for people to see...