The ongoing — and worsening — shortage of physicians is top-of-mind for many healthcare leaders. Whether measures being taken to head off a potential crisis are sufficient remains to be seen.
Levels of burnout, career dissatisfaction and clinical depression are rising among physicians. In a recent Medscape survey, 90% of physicians said they are experiencing some form of depression: 63% said they are experiencing "colloquial depression," defined as feeling down, sad or blue, and 27% indicated they are experiencing clinical depression, defined as severe depression over a period of time not caused by a "normal grief event."
The most common causes to which physicians in the survey attributed their depression were job-related feelings of burnout and physicians' responsibilities.
Separately, CMS reduced overall physician pay by 1.25% and updated the Medicare conversion factor to $32.74, a 3.4% decrease from last year. When adjusted for inflation, Medicare pays physicians 26% less than it did in 2001, according to a July report from the American Medical Association.
According to a report by Definitive Healthcare, 71,309 physicians left the workforce between 2021 and 2022, and this trend does not seem to be slowing: 26% of physicians recently told Medscape they are thinking of exploring careers outside of medicine.
So what is being done?
Those in the industry as well as outside it are utilizing multiple tactics to mitigate these issues and the looming threat of a potential shortage of 124,000 physicians by 2034.
Legislators are proposing bills to lessen prior authorization burdens and revamp Medicare's physician payment policy. On the state level, Hawaii and Indiana have launched programs to help healthcare workers pay off their student loans.
Other potential burnout remedies being considered include expanding the scope of practice of non-physician providers such as certified registered nurse anesthetists and physician assistants.
Some ASCs and physician groups are combating shortages by eliminating or reducing major causes of discontent in physicians. Some practices are overhauling benefits packages and implementing technology designed to help reduce the work physicians need to complete, such as using artificial intelligence tools and EHRs and facilitating use of telehealth services for providers. Beyond that, focusing on honing a leadership culture that puts employees at the forefront can be important in retaining staff.
It is too early to say whether it will all be enough — and physicians are worried.
"I am most worried about burnout and physicians, particularly those in the front lines such as primary care and emergency medicine, leaving medicine due to administrative burdens and unsafe environments and expectations," Vineet Sharma, MD, an emergency medicine physician in Los Angeles, told Becker's. "This is the most important thing that needs to be addressed in 2024 with rising medical school debt, the rising cost of becoming a physician and the rising unhappiness of providers. The shortage of front-line providers can drastically impact the U.S. as our population is aging. If we don't find proper means of compensating providers and make their jobs more enjoyable, we will be in a health crisis."