US Doctors Overworked, Many Planning To Retire
Posted on: Tuesday, 18 November 2008, 12:40 CST
A survey of physicians in the United States showed that almost half of doctors plan to reduce their workload or quit altogether, while 60 percent of general practice physicians said they would never recommend medicine as a career.
The Physicians’ Foundation sent surveys to 270, primary care doctors and 50,000 practicing specialists.
The 12,000 answers are considered representative of doctors as a whole, the group said, with a margin of error of about 1 percent. It found that 78 percent of those who answered believe there is a shortage of primary care doctors.
Seventy six percent of physicians said they are working at "full capacity" or "overextended and overworked".
The findings support the assumption that not enough internal medicine or family practice doctors are trained or practicing in the United States, although there are plenty of specialist physicians.
"The whole thing has spun out of control. I plan to retire early even though I still love seeing patients. The process has just become too burdensome," one doctor told The Physicians’ Foundation.
Doctor's groups are lobbying for action to reduce their workload and hold the line on payments for treating Medicare, Medicaid and other patients with federal or state health insurance.
President-elect Barack Obama has made a point to address health care reform, and Congress has made similar vows.
Many of the health plans proposed by members of Congress, insurers and employers's groups, as well as Obama's, suggest that electronic medical records would go a long way to saving time and reducing costs.
More than 90 percent of those surveyed said the amount time spent on non-clinical paperwork has increased by 63 percent over the last three years, resulting in less time spent with patients.
“Going into this project we generally knew about the shortage of physicians; what we didn’t know is how much worse it could get over the next few years,” said Lou Goodman, PhD, President, The Physicians’ Foundation.
“The bottom line is that the person you’ve known as your family doctor could be getting ready to disappear – and there might not be a replacement.”
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Source: redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports
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User Comments (11)
| 11. |
Posted by Jeremy Engdahl-Johns on 11/19/2008, 11:38 Electronic medical records is a good new market for GE and others; electronic medical records can increase efficiency and only about 10% - 15% of hospitals -- and about the same percent of doctors -- have adopted EMR systems. What’s tougher is the big price tag: Will electronic records really decrease healthcare costs? We know there will be a spike in costs at the outset, and that the systems are likely to cost more than anti****ted. The ROI is still unclear. Even trickier is the underlying logic of these systems, especially around the need to assure and deliver quality, consistent care. Do they incorporate the smartest diagnostic and quality care guidelines? Do they make evidence-based clinical information available at the bedside, along with the patient’s individual and historical information? Not all EMRs are created equal. Possibilities? www.healthcaretownhall.com |
| 10. |
Posted by Mike on 11/18/2008, 21:34 We are all brought up thinking doctors make a lot of money. Maybe some specialists do but as a software engineer I spent some time doing requirements gathering for EMRs and got a good look behind the scenes including financials. After expenses especially including malpractice insurance Primary Care Physicians do not make that much. Not as much as corporate executives in most cases. There is so much bureaucracy with insurance forms (ICD-9, CPT Codes) physicians pay billing services to process the paperwork. So, imagine in addition to income tax you had to pay an additional 7 to 9% of your gross income in order to receive a paycheck. The whole system is a complete mess and although this is somewhat unrelated I read today that Henry Paulson does not want to help home owners with any of the 700 billion bailout money, rather he wants it all directed at financial institutions; and get this insurance companies. Since when were we bailing out insurance companies! Insurance companies and lawyers are the reason our health care system is in the mess that it is. |
| 9. |
Posted by Oliver on 11/18/2008, 20:59 Medical school has become a school for aristocrats, and that is why, though they make more money than many more tasking jobs (teachers, scientists, engineers) they constantly whine and threaten to quit. Let them quit, then we can let some people that want to help patients for a paltry low-upper class income fill their positions. My GP works 20 hours a week and makes six figures. Boohoo. |
| 8. |
Posted by michael on 11/18/2008, 20:45 I am a primary care doctor, and I quit at age 60 two years ago. I kept a chart of aggravation versus enjoyment after every patient encounter. Aggravation won 2:1. The money wasn't the main reason for retiring, but it wasn't an incentive to stay on either. There are thousands of doctors in other countries who would love to do primary care here. Let them immigrate here, train them here, and let them go to work. The solution to the problem is simple and inexpensive. |
| 7. |
Posted by Doc Ohio on 11/18/2008, 18:09 Judd Trust me, VERY few people choose medicine to make money. As I sit in my office, trying to get through the mountain of paper work, I try to keep my spirits up by thinking of the people I helped today. Not the ones who didn\'t bother to show for their appointments. not the ones that called and want meds called in because they are too busy to have their diabetes monitored. Going over insurance forms from some bureaucrat (who probably has never seen a patient) telling me (who has been practicing for 15 years) what I can give my patients. True, its only 7pm and I\'ve only been here since 8 AM (pretty typical day) but I can always get caught up by spending my weekend here too. Well, gotta call a patient who is upset because their insurance will not cover the medicine that has been working for them for the past 5 years because they changed insurance and they need to fail on 2 other meds first. |
| 6. |
Posted by Dr. Tony on 11/18/2008, 17:03 The shortage of primary care providers in this country is variable, depending on location. No EMR is going to make things better for docs. It provides safety, and maybe some reduction in duplication of tests. But it adds at least 15% of time to each visit. I run a clinic for folks with limited means. I use nurse practitioners to do the primary care and mental health. They have proven to be of extremely high quality in both their care and in patient satisfaction. It takes four years after college to train a nurse practitioner, instead of seven for a physician. As much as most docs hate it, I no longer think primary care should be provided by MDs. We can't afford it. There are even fewer psychiatrists. In my expereience with mental health nurse practitioners they are doing really well. If we ever get a national health plan we will need so many more practitioners that medical schools could never keep up. Nurse practitioners are a great bet from the cost and quality points of view. |
| 5. |
Posted by Mark on 11/18/2008, 17:01 Why do you need to force people to spend 4 years of undergraduate and 3 or 4 years of medical school to become a family doctor? In many European and Asian countries 5 years of undergraduate majoring in Medicine is sufficient to start practicing. And guess what, surveys by surveys the quality of care in the US has proven inferior to those countries. It's about time to reduce the time that doctors have to spend in school and lower the barrier to a medical career. Let's face it, there isn't much in being a family doctor or even a specialist in some fields. It takes a lot more knowledge and brain to be an engineer or a scientist, who are actually paid much less. |
| 4. |
Posted by Kurt Dortmeier RN on 11/18/2008, 16:54 The notion that Electronic medical records simplify practice of medecine is one of the stupidest statements ever made. When will our arrogant politicians finally learn something real about health care by asking information from those who practice it. In the interim they all fail dismally to acknowledge the gigantic and increasing cost of booming Tort issues only to allow their personal injury attorney buddies to kill our system. |
| 3. |
Posted by Linda on 11/18/2008, 16:47 I am losing hope that anyone is ever going to address this issue. As a nurse I can attest to the fact that health care is falling by the way side. Doctos and nurses spend most of their time either filling out paperwork or begging insurance companies to pay for recommended procedures or tests. There's not much time left in the day for actual patient care. I don't believe any of our political leaders understand how detrimental this is to the patients. Doctors spend many many years in school only to be told by businessmen how they can treat. And believe me, the insurance companies are all about the almighty dollar, not what's best for the patient. It's a dangerous way to practice medicine. No wonder doctors are fed up! |
| 2. |
Posted by Judd on 11/18/2008, 16:37 Those *****ing abvisouly chose their profession for money, rather than the satisfaction of using thier gifts and talents to help others. Waaah. Hundreds of thousands are overworked, and don't make in a year what most of these Dr's pay monthly for thier car and house payment. |
| 1. |
Posted by Dr. Mike on 11/18/2008, 14:25 None of the current health proposals address the impending demise of primary care, including president elect Obama's. And to suggest that electronic medical records will somehow make it easier for us family physicians is just ignorant - I know because I have an EMR and it creates additional burdens like trying to keep 12 computers networked and running well when I would rather be seeing patients. I don't know why people tolerate having their insurer in the room at each appointment - obviously not literally, but they are there- making sure that you don't get the best medication or test, but that you get the one that they approve of. Someday, when you are older, and spending hours shuffling from specialist to specialist (and having the expensive tests and procedures that they get paid so well to perform) you will lament your inaction when primary care was on the ropes. Yea I make a decent living, but I'm a smart guy and could have made a decent living doing any number of things all of which at the moment seem more attractive to me than the daily grind of begging some insurance company to let me order an MRI or prescribe the best treatment instead of the cheapest. |
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