Private/ Small Physician Practice Confidence Increase

Although hospital employment is rampant and there is a lot of media attention on the increase of hospital employment models, our firm still sees a significant number of private practices thriving in this economic environment as well as candidates seeking private or small group employment models.

We consider this an encouraging sign, and Healthcare IT has recently reported an increase of confidence in private and small group physician practices, attributed to implementing new technology. According to a recent article, 60% of physicians in small or medium-sized practices say technology has made things easier for them, and nearly half say business is better this year compared to last, according to a new survey released today by EMR vendor Practice Fusion.

Among findings from the poll:

-45% of physicians report that their practice is doing better this year compared to last year, while 14% report that their practice is doing worse and 33% report no change. (In the 2011 State of the Small Practice Survey, only 26% reported that their practice was doing better than the year before, while 41% reported doing worse.)
-60% of small practices report that new technology has made things easier.
-89% of doctors report being satisfied or extremely satisfied with their career despite challenges, a 20% increase from the year before.

Most practices ranked insurance and reimbursement as the top negative pressure (69%), followed by patient compliance issues (64%) and practice administration concerns (48 %).

Advancements in medicine (68%), patient compliance (53%) and improvement in the healthcare workforce (51%) were among the positive trends cited by physicians in this survey.

Read the full article at Healthcare IT News, or click here:
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/buoyed-it-small-practice-confidence

Physician Office Hiring Increase in 2011

Healthcare employment has been the one increasing consistency with the down job market. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics reports that 2011 has been the second highest year for healthcare employment over the past decade.

Over 67,000 jobs were added in physician offices in 2011 according to the BLS. Just over 89,000 jobs were added in hospitals; these figures are double and triple respectively the same figures from 2010.

General unemployment decreased nearly a percentage to 8.5% overall, however the healthcare sector remains strong and even continues to increase.

The BLS does not break down the individual positions in healthcare, but there continues to be a shortage both for physicians of all specialties as well as allied health and nursing positions. Another indicator of the increase of jobs in physician offices is the shift from inpatient to outpatient settings.

Read the full article in American Medical News, or click here:
http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2012/01/09/bisf0112.htm

Hospital Physician Employment Increase of 1/3

The increasing trend of physician employment models continues to grow with 32% jump from 2000-2010 data.

According to AHA Hospital Statistics, approximately 212,000 physicians were employed in 2010, which is nearly a one-third increase from the number of physicians employed by hospital systems in 2000. Nearly 20% of all physicians are employed by hospitals.

Although just over 55% of physicians are not employed or under contract with hospitals, the report reveals that in excess of 20% are covered by a group contract, just over 17% are directly employed, and just over 7% have individual contracts.

The trend of hospitals employing physicians continues to increase, however there is still a market for all types of employment models. Hospital employed models may appeal to physicians who desire to have more flexibility and security, however for the more independent and entrepreneurial-minded physician private models offer more control over running your practice.

There are also many compromises and alternatives benefitting both parties of partial- employment or shared call and expenses, even leasing your practice to a hospital as an alternative of full employment.

Read the full article at H & HN Daily, or click here: http://www.hhnmag.com/hhnmag/HHNDaily/HHNDailyDisplay.dhtml?id=1970001363

Second edition of Neurosurgery Market Watch now available online!

Our feature article is a comprehensive neurosurgery-specific RVU explanation and breakdown. Perry Hoeltzell, MD PhD shares his views in our candidate profile on his new position, while health lawyer Roderick Holloman addresses contract challenges in our Legal Corner column. And don’t forget to check out our standing sections, Physician Incentive Payments and the Featured Opportunity.

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