Private Practice: Still Providing Control and Autonomy

Although the trend is towards hospital employment and many private and solo physician practices are being bought out or merging with larger hospital systems, there will always be a place for the private practice physician.

Some physicians will always seek the control and autonomy that only a traditional private practice can provide.

American Medical News just published an article on how some physicians will never transition in to an employed model, the strength of the private practice will prevail for some physicians despite economic hardships and pressure from larger health systems.

Read the full article by clicking here:
http://www.amednews.com/article/20130624/business/130629978/2/?utm_source=nwltr&utm_medium=heds-htm&utm_campaign=20130624

MGMA Physician Compensation 2013

The Medical Group Management has released their 2013 Physician Compensation and Production Survey report.  Most physicians, specialists, and surgeons pay increases were largely flat, however the study finds physician compensation across all generalists, specialists, and surgeons is becoming more and more based on quality measures, including the quality of care they provide and whether their patients are satisfied.

With the Affordable Care Act kicking in on January 1, 2014, the MGMA study comes as physicians are gearing up for the potential of millions more paying customers.

According to a recent article in Forbes, the health law and trends in the private sector are also beginning to influence doctor pay because employers, government and private insurers are beginning to move away from fee-for-service medicine to reimbursement tied to quality measures.

Read the full article in Forbes by clicking here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/brucejapsen/2013/06/12/doctor-pay-rises-to-221k-for-primary-care-396k-for-specialists/

Another article in HealthLeaders also reviews the data on the MGMA report based on 2012 data, agreeing that quality measures are emerging as components in physicians' compensation.  This trend is expected to grow as value-based reimbursements gradually supplant fee-for-service, volume-based models.

Read the full article in HealthLeaders Media by clicking here: http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/page-1/LED-293270/MGMA-Physician-Compensation-Increasingly-Based-on-Quality-Measures?goback=%2Egde_1170587_member_250288846

Physician Career Move: Make a Priority List Before You Make the Move

When physicians are looking for new career options, compensation and location are generally the prime motivators in considering possible options.  However personalizing your search based on your individual short and long term needs is essential to identifying a long-term, sustainable job opportunity.

Writing a list of priorities before you begin your job search will help to identify what your individual job search will look like.  

Be honest in your answers during your evaluation of potential opportunities and also during the interviews.  Don’t be afraid to ask appropriate questions during the interview.  The more you make your job search about your individual criteria, the more likely you are to identify an opportunity that is sustainable long-term and ensures the potential to live the life you want to live, in and outside of work.

Read a recent article from American Medical News suggesting a 4-step process to writing down your job search priorities:

http://www.amednews.com/article/20130603/business/130609985/4/?utm_source=nwltr&utm_medium=heds-htm&utm_campaign=20130603