Physician Survey: How Recession has Affected Practices, Shortage in Primary Care Physicians

About 9,000 primary care physicians nationwide are being surveyed to examine work force matters, medical homes, and other practice issues. One goal is to help determine whether there are enough primary care physicians to tend to the nation's needs, especially if insurance coverage is extended to more people in a reformed health system.

Questions on the four-page survey include asking whether physicians plan to work longer hours or hire more staff if they experience an influx of new patients. The survey also is assessing physicians' readiness to establish patient-centered medical homes, asking if electronic medical records or disease registries are part of their practice.

Primary care physicians and subspecialists in pediatrics and internal medicine received the surveys, Salsberg said. Collaborating on the effort with the AAMC are the American Medical Association, American College of Physicians, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, and American Assn. of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine.

Read the full article in American Medical News, or click here:

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2010/02/08/prsd0210.htm