Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/970884
DIFFICULT Y BAL ANCING HOME AND WORK LIFE IS AMONG THE KE Y FACTORS THAT HAVE MANY PHYSICIANS CONTEMPL ATING REDUCING THEIR HOURS OR LE AVING MEDICINE ALTOGE THER, ACCORDING TO A RECENT STUDY IN MAYO CLINIC PROCEEDINGS. BURNOUT AND DISSATISFACTION WITH EHR ALSO PL AY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE, ACCORDING TO RESE ARCHERS. NE ARLY 7,000 PHYSICIANS in clinica l practice a c r o s s n u m e r o u s s p e c i a l t i e s r e s p o n d e d t o the sur vey. A mong the major f indings: + Approx i m at ely 20 percent sa id t hey wou ld def initely or probably cut back on their clinica l work hours during the following yea r. + A lmost 27 percent sa id they would likely or def initely leave their practice within two yea rs. + A mon g t h at lat t er g roup, 1 26 phy si- cia ns — representing about 1.9 percent of the tota l 7,000 — sa id they pla nned to leave practice entirely a nd follow a different ca reer path. The media n a ge of respondents wa s 56, a nd a majority were in private practice. Two-thirds were men. Respondents worked an average of 52.2 hours per week. "If physicians follow through on these intentions, it could profoundly worsen the projected shor tage of US physicia ns," the authors of the study write. A 2017 study by the A ssociation of A merica n Medica l Colleges estimated that the shor tfa ll of p h y s i c i a n s i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s c o u l d exceed 100,000 by 2030. n anatomy of a PHYSICIAN SHORTAGE BY STEVE BARRETT CORE When taking care of patients is only part of the equation, you want a top-ranked law firm. WE DO OUR JOB SO YOU CAN DO YOURS. Our team of health care attorneys have the knowledge and experience to understand the current challenges confronting physicians and health care businesses. We do what we do, so you can focus on medicine. We advise and counsel health care providers in all areas of their business: • HIPAA compliance • Fraud and abuse compliance • Employment contracts • Mergers and acquisitions • Corporate compliance for non-profits • Affordable Care Act • Employment matters, including contracts, OSHA and workers' compensation • Supplier, third-party provider and insurance provider agreements • Practice formation and operation 4775 Munson Street NW | Canton, Ohio 44718 877.876.9958 | 330.497.0700 Offices in Canton, Akron, Alliance, New Philadelphia and Sugarcreek KWGD.com M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S C L E V E L A N D /A K R O N / C A N T O N ■ M A R C H /A P R I L 2 018 1 3