Will the independent medical practice become extinct in America?
Upon facing declining revenue prospects, physicians are shuttering their private, independent practices to partner up with larger hospitals that have near-monopolies on care in the regions they serve.
This trend is depressing news for most Americans.
Further concentration of market power in these health systems ultimately results in less personalized care and higher overall costs for patients.
The effect of the decrease in independent medical practice
Medicare physician’s pay has increased by 11% over the past 20 years. The overhead costs of operating an independent medical practice on the other hand, jumped nearly 40%. Factoring in inflation, Medicare physician’s pay has dropped roughly 20% in the past two decades. It’s clear that those who remain in the sector aren’t in it for the money.
For many independent physicians, not even a miracle could make this business model sustainable. Perhaps that’s why 2020 marked the first year independent physicians accounted for fewer than half of all practicing doctors in the U.S., according to a survey from the American Medical Association.
Physicians closing up shop short of retirement typically go work in larger hospital systems, many of which enjoy a monopoly on healthcare services in their catchment area. According to the AMA report, the number of physicians employed at hospitals increased by roughly 50% between 2012 and 2020.
In addition to poaching physicians, hospital systems are acquiring private practices outright. AMA data show that between 2012 and 2020, the share of doctors working at private practices that were at least partially owned by a larger hospital system grew nearly 40%.
As the AMA survey notes, the majority of doctors employed by hospitals are under the age of 40. That suggests this trend will continue over the long term. Many younger doctors prefer the more regular hours that hospitals offer, as well as a fixed salary.
Prices for physician services have risen
Private practice may be less predictable — in terms of both workload and pay. Nevertheless, the shift away from private, independent care towards corporate mega-providers should alarm patients and policymakers.
For starters, care will become more expensive as hospitals expand their regional monopolies. As health systems grow, they gain undue leverage with insurance providers that propose service-price hikes.
One study in the Journal of Health Economics found that prices for physician services rose nearly 15% at practices acquired by hospitals between 2007 and 2013.
Without competition from independent practices, hospitals have little need to keep a lid on prices. They can charge patients and their insurance companies effectively whatever they want to.
Diminishing quality of care is another concern. Physician pay within a hospital system is determined in part by how many patients each doctor can treat, assembly-line style. So much for patient-centered care.
We’re witnessing a historic shift in the practice of medicine in the United States. It isn’t an edifying spectacle, especially if you’re a patient in need of medical care that is humane, attentive and not delivered on a conveyor belt.
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