The Physicians Foundation, a non-profit group supporting physicians, has outlined five key areas that will impact the practice of medicine in 2012.
The Foundation, which based its analysis on information from the group's 2010 Health Reform Research Study and 2011 Roadmap for Physicians to Healthcare Reform Paper, has determined the following five trends will be critical for physicians to watch next year.
1. Changing nature of medical practices. Many physicians are choosing hospital and group settings versus private practice due to the perceived security employed settings offer. Only one quarter of physicians surveyed in the group's previous studies said they plan to continue practicing as they are; half said they would adopt a style of practice different from the traditional full-time independent private practice model. In 2012, physicians will need to carefully assess their individual circumstances and determine the practice configuration that best meets their needs and those of their patients.
2. Decreased return on increased burden. The added regulations and administrative responsibilities based on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act have caused physicians to focus less on the patient and more on administrating their practices. Sixty-three percent of physicians surveyed said that non-clinical paperwork has caused them to spend less time with their patients, and 94 percent said time they devote to non-clinical paperwork in the last three years has increased. In 2012, physicians will need to vigilantly monitor their administrative burdens and take steps to minimize any further impact on their relationship with patients.
3. Acute shortages of primary care physicians. A growing shortage of physicians threatens the medical profession's ability to serve patients across key specialties and geographies. Physicians will need to redefine their roles and rethink delivery models in order to meet rising demand. The majority of physicians (60 percent) said health reform will compel them to close or significantly limit their practices to certain categories of patients. Of these, 93 percent said they will close or significantly limit their practices to Medicaid patients, and 87 percent said they would close or significantly restrict their practices to Medicare patients. In 2012, physicians will need to evaluate how they can optimize their time to accommodate the current and future needs of their patients.
4. Critical need for physician leadership tools and skills. In the healthcare environment of tomorrow, many physicians will assume greater business and people management responsibilities within practice groups and hospital settings. In 2012, physicians will need to acquire new types of non-medical leadership skills to be effective in these expanded roles, while still maintaining their trusted relationships with patients.
5. Increased burdens could impact patients. The need to provide higher quality in an environment characterized by increased reporting, problematic reimbursement and high potential liability, will place extraordinary stress on physicians, particularly those in private practice. Only one physician in ten believes that health reform will enhance the quality of care they are able to provide to their patients, compared to 56 percent who believe reform will diminish the quality of care they are able to provide. In 2012, physicians will increasingly need to balance these competing factors in ways that do not compromise the care they provide to patients.
The Foundation, which based its analysis on information from the group's 2010 Health Reform Research Study and 2011 Roadmap for Physicians to Healthcare Reform Paper, has determined the following five trends will be critical for physicians to watch next year.
1. Changing nature of medical practices. Many physicians are choosing hospital and group settings versus private practice due to the perceived security employed settings offer. Only one quarter of physicians surveyed in the group's previous studies said they plan to continue practicing as they are; half said they would adopt a style of practice different from the traditional full-time independent private practice model. In 2012, physicians will need to carefully assess their individual circumstances and determine the practice configuration that best meets their needs and those of their patients.
2. Decreased return on increased burden. The added regulations and administrative responsibilities based on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act have caused physicians to focus less on the patient and more on administrating their practices. Sixty-three percent of physicians surveyed said that non-clinical paperwork has caused them to spend less time with their patients, and 94 percent said time they devote to non-clinical paperwork in the last three years has increased. In 2012, physicians will need to vigilantly monitor their administrative burdens and take steps to minimize any further impact on their relationship with patients.
3. Acute shortages of primary care physicians. A growing shortage of physicians threatens the medical profession's ability to serve patients across key specialties and geographies. Physicians will need to redefine their roles and rethink delivery models in order to meet rising demand. The majority of physicians (60 percent) said health reform will compel them to close or significantly limit their practices to certain categories of patients. Of these, 93 percent said they will close or significantly limit their practices to Medicaid patients, and 87 percent said they would close or significantly restrict their practices to Medicare patients. In 2012, physicians will need to evaluate how they can optimize their time to accommodate the current and future needs of their patients.
4. Critical need for physician leadership tools and skills. In the healthcare environment of tomorrow, many physicians will assume greater business and people management responsibilities within practice groups and hospital settings. In 2012, physicians will need to acquire new types of non-medical leadership skills to be effective in these expanded roles, while still maintaining their trusted relationships with patients.
5. Increased burdens could impact patients. The need to provide higher quality in an environment characterized by increased reporting, problematic reimbursement and high potential liability, will place extraordinary stress on physicians, particularly those in private practice. Only one physician in ten believes that health reform will enhance the quality of care they are able to provide to their patients, compared to 56 percent who believe reform will diminish the quality of care they are able to provide. In 2012, physicians will increasingly need to balance these competing factors in ways that do not compromise the care they provide to patients.