The passage of the Affordable Care Act prompted more than a third of physicians to consider quitting, according to a survey conducted by healthcare staffing agency, CompHealth.
Physicians were more likely to view the law unfavorably (51 percent) than favorably (30 percent) due to a combination of factors, including its challenges to their work and impact on compensation. The remaining 19 percent felt neutral.
Here are five more findings from the survey.
1. Private practice physicians were most pessimistic about the law. Only 20 percent of private practice physicians viewed the law favorably, compared to 26 percent of group practice physicians and 35 percent of hospital-based practice physicians. Of those groups, private practice physicians were also the most likely to feel they were not being properly compensation for their time, believe their salaries took a hit from the ACA and that their practice was negatively impacted overall.
2. While the ACA improves patient access, physicians feel it costs patients more and hinders medical practice. Nearly half of physicians said the ACA had a positive impact on access to healthcare and insurance. However, few physicians felt it improved the cost of healthcare for patients, physicians' overall medical practice, their ability to meet demand, quality of care, their overall salary and how much they are reimbursed for treating patients.
3. More than half of physicians — 54 percent — have not had to reduce the time they spend with patients. However, about a third of physicians felt the number of patients they see increased after the passage of the ACA and 44 percent felt they have had to reduce the amount of time they spend with each patient per visit.
4. Most feel there are too many administrative hoops associated with the ACA to jump through. The majority (68 percent) felt they spend too much time entering data into EHRs and 59 percent felt paperwork was a burden.
5. Physicians are seeking additional employment, often to supplement their income. About 41 percent of physicians reported taking an additional job, and half of those who did take another job chose to do so to maintain their preferred lifestyle, according to the survey.
Survey data is based on responses from 993 physicians across multiple specialties and from various regions of the U.S.
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