Becker’s Healthcare Podcast Solving Rural Physician Shortages and Restoring Joy in Medicine with Dr. Joseph Pazona
Mar 24, 2026
Dr. Joseph Pazona, board-certified urologist and founder/CEO of VirtuCare who builds outpatient specialty programs for rural hospitals. He discusses rural physician shortages and how new care models expand specialty access. He covers scaling partnerships with hospitals, restoring joy for clinicians by enabling top-of-license practice, and plans to extend the model beyond urology.
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Starting VirtueCare After Rural Practice Lessons
- Joseph Pazona began his career practicing in rural America and quickly saw resource gaps that inspired innovation.
- He relocated to Nashville, started an independent urology practice, and founded VirtueCare to build outpatient urology programs for rural hospitals.
Urology Workforce Numbers Don't Add Up
- There is a structural mismatch between supply and need in specialties like urology: ~1,100 open urology jobs vs ~300 trainees per year.
- Many new urologists subspecialize or choose large markets, leaving rural and underserved communities with the highest unmet need.
Adopt Leveraged Care Models For Rural Access
- Move beyond the expectation that every community will have every specialty and adopt highly leveraged care models instead.
- Use innovative delivery to keep care local so zip code does not determine access to quality healthcare.