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Nearly Half of Older Physicians to Opt Out of Patient Care
A national survey released last month revealed that 48% of all doctors ages 50-65 are planning to retire, seek non-clinical jobs, work part-time, close their practices to new patients, and/or significantly reduce the number of patients they see in the next one to three years.
The survey, conducted by Merritt Hawkins & Associates, a national physician search and consulting firm, suggests that many experienced physicians are seeking a way out of traditional patient care roles.
"This survey is another warning signal for states like Pennsylvania, which have a growing aging population in need of more specialty medical services," said 3PSC President Barbara Frieman, MD. "Pennsylvania is going to be competing nationally for a small number of specialty surgeons to replace our aging ones."
"When many of the older doctors today entered medicine they had control over how they practiced and the fees they charged," Frieman said.
"Today doctors in Pennsylvania face increasing overhead costs such as medical liability insurance premiums while at the same time getting paid less for the services they provide."
Frieman noted that if older physicians remove themselves from patient care or significantly reduce the number of patients they see, access to physicians would be greatly reduced because Pennsylvania continues to have difficulty recruiting young physicians, even the ones trained here.