Kaiser Health News and NPR are reporting today on an increase in physicians choosing to work in hospitals instead of going into private practice. According to their piece, half of all new doctors were hired by hospitals last year, and 1 in 6 doctors works for a hospital. And:
Several factors are driving the trend. For some doctors, the recession is making it more difficult to run a small business, with fewer patients coming in for care and others unable to pay their bills. And many physicians... who are just starting out, don't want the long hours and administrative headaches that come with private practice. . . .
"We spend so many hours doing administrative work in the [private practice] world. It's very frustrating," says [Michele Roberts Casey, MD, a North Carolina doctor who recently moved from private practice to a healthcare system]. "We don't have that here. We can focus on patients. We can take good care of our patients, and they can remain our priority."
