Growing numbers seek employment, in part because government-mandated technology costs too much
By Ken Terry
Information Week
Originally published November 9, 2012
Sixty-one percent of independent physicians are seeking employment, and the majority of those doctors say that the government requirement for them to adopt and show meaningful use of an electronic health record (EHR) is one reason, a new Accenture report finds.
The paper, entitled "Clinical Transformation: New Business Models for a New Era in Healthcare," notes that the percentage of private practice physicians in the workforce dropped from 57% in 2000 to 39% in 2012. By the end of next year, Accenture forecasts, only 36% of physicians will be self-employed.
The biggest reason for doctors to seek employment, the Accenture survey shows, is the cost of doing business as an independent practitioner. Eighty-seven percent of respondents who were looking for a job cited that challenge, and 61% checked off "the prevalence of managed care." Government EHR requirements and maintaining/managing staff each were mentioned by 53% of doctors.
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