Economic pressures mean that private practice is no longer a financially viable option for many providers, according to the report. In addition to moves by midcareer physicians, more medical school graduates are choosing hospital employment because of regular paychecks and predictable hours.
The percentage of physicians practicing in solo or two-physician offices has been decreasing for over ten years, according to the Center for Studying Health System Change. Currently, only 30 percent of physicians practice in these small facilities, down 10 percent from 1997.
According to the report, physicians are struggling because of the pressure from insurers to charge less for increasingly more expensive services. Medicare has also cut payments to physicians who care for senior citizens, usually a hefty chunk of a practice’s revenue.
Read the Detroit News report on the rise of hospital physician employment.
Read more recent coverage on hospital-physician relationships.
–The Future of Physician Owned Hospitals
–6 Ways to Improve Efficiency of Hospital Employed Physicians
