What if I can't find a doctor? Physician shortage will change how Americans receive care.

The most urgent threat to our health isn't a microscopic virus or strain of bacteria. It's a shortage of doctors.

A whopping 83 million Americans don't have sufficient access to a primary care provider. Within a decade, we could be short almost 50,000 primary care physicians.

Educating and training more doctors is critical, of course. But that will take years, even decades. In the meantime, we need to maximize the capacity of our existing corps of providers by making the health system more efficient and managing illness more proactively.

In other words, we have to learn how to do more with less. An ongoing revolution in digital health care delivery − from telehealth visits to pharmacies that deliver to the home − can help us do just that.

First, a reality check. The health care status quo isn't working for most patients. Seven in 10 Americans say the system isn't meeting their needs, according to data from a 2023 Harris Poll.

Patients may wait weeks for care

Wait times are the top concern. As a physician, I've seen firsthand how our system forces patients to wait weeks for care, even for the most routine and easily treatable health conditions. New patients wait 26 days, on average, to see a primary care physician. On the day of the appointment, the average patient waits nearly 20 minutes to see their provider.

Delays in care aren't just inconvenient. They have real-world consequences for patient health and the broader economy. Seeing a primary care doctor can prevent a manageable health issue from evolving into a life-threatening illness.

Telemedicine can help to bring efficiency to the sluggish status quo. Virtual appointments optimize doctors' time, allowing providers to see and triage more patients in a day.

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As an added benefit, virtually treating patients with routine health conditions can free up capacity at emergency rooms and other facilities focused on in-person care.

Patients benefit, too. Telemedicine eliminates the need to travel and can reduce how long patients have to wait for care. It's no surprise that virtual appointments are associated with fewer last-minute cancellations, which can sap a physician's productivity.

But how do we reconcile telemedicine with the continued need for in-person diagnostics and lab work?

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Integrating virtual care with remote patient-monitoring tools can help providers receive real-time updates on their patients' blood glucose, blood pressure and more.

That allows doctors to better monitor, communicate with and prescribe medicines for patients. One study found that remote patient-monitoring programs can reduce hospital readmissions by half.

Patients often don't take medicine they're prescribed

Ensuring patients can take the medicines their doctors prescribe also will boost our health system's productivity. Too often, patients don't adhere to their recommended treatment regimens, which can allow manageable conditions to snowball into life-threatening emergencies.

Millions of Americans land in the hospital each year because of chronic conditions, which affect an estimated 6 in 10 Americans. Yet, for diabetes and high blood pressure, medication adherence rates are typically at 50% to 60% of prescribed doses.

Nonadherence results in more than $300 billion in avoidable health care costs in the United States every year. About 125,000 Americans die annually because of nonadherence.

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Making it easier for patients to take their medicines as directed with online alternatives to traditional pharmacies can help solve this crisis. One study of Medicare Part D patients with chronic conditions found that those who used pharmacy delivery services were significantly more likely to adhere to their prescriptions.

Consumers who hesitate to use mail-order pharmacy services are most concerned about delivery speed and a perceived lack of personal connection. Fortunately, several companies are working to address these potential roadblocks by delivering drugs faster and offering more personalized care.

Other consumers are discouraged from sticking to their medication when they pick it up only to find out at the pharmacy counter that it's more expensive than expected. Online alternatives often make prices clear upfront − and sometimes they're cheaper than going through insurance.

Better adoption of telemedicine and pharmacy delivery can streamline our health care experience, help providers who are stretched thin to triage care and make us healthier. It's time for our health care system to meet patients where they are.

Dr. Vin Gupta is a practicing pulmonologist who serves as chief medical officer of Amazon Pharmacy. He concurrently serves as a medical analyst for MSNBC and NBC News, affiliate faculty at the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and a major in the U.S. Air Force Medical Reserve Corps, serving as the officer in charge of the Critical Care Air Transport Capability at Joint-Base Lewis McChord.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How can I find a doctor? Physician shortage is changing medicine