Doctors from 45 states responded to the survey, and 130 respondents did not provide geographical information. Most of the doctors surveyed are mid-career (77%), meaning they have been in practice between 11 and 30 years. They are also in solo or small group practice (81%) and office-based (89%) versus hospital-based (11%). Other key findings from the survey include the following:
- 63% of respondents say government involvement is most to blame for current problems
- 74% of respondents say they will stop accepting Medicare patients, or leave Medicare completely
- 2 out of 3 respondents say they are “In the black, but just squeaking by”
- 95% of respondents say private practice is losing out to corporate medicine
It would be a real shame if these doctors were to quit practicing medicine. As a nation, we are already facing a large physician shortage and cannot afford to lose anymore. Instead, these physicians should consider a locum tenens career. Locums do not bill for their services directly, so they are immune from a lot of the headaches associated with increased government involvement. They don’t need to worry about accepting Medicare. Locum tenens are also independent contractors so they don’t deal with the politics and bureaucracy of corporate medicine. And as for those physicians that are squeaking by, locum tenens physicians earn competitive salaries. If you are a physician that is fed up with the state of the healthcare industry, don’t quit. Check out the advantages of a locum tenens career, and visit the Barton Associates Locum Tenens FAQ page.
