by Hans Eisenbeis
WHAT’S HAPPENING
- In an astonishing survey published in March 2012, The Doctors Company found that 9 out of 10 physicians would not recommend becoming a doctor. The nation’s largest provider of physicians’ and surgeons’ insurance asked more than 5,000 members whether they would recommend their profession to someone looking for a career (InsuranceNewsNet.com, 1 March 2012).
- The results are especially troubling because the healthcare industry faces huge shortfalls in workers in coming years, thanks in large part to the “bubble” of aging Baby Boomers who will be reaching peak years of medical care as they age.
- Current legislation that could have a dramatic effect on medical professionals is cited in the survey as the biggest concern among working doctors today.
WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS
- We may be on the verge of a sea change in how medicine is practiced and delivered in the US as the nation learns to deal with the crises of health insurance, the aging population, understaffing in hospitals and clinics, legislation and regulation, and scrutiny of the fee-for-service model that has dominated US medicine for decades.
- More Americans are looking for alternatives to traditional medicine, whether it’s in the herb and supplement aisle at the grocery store or in the self-help section of an online tool like Virtuwell.
RESOURCES
