Looking for employment? 6 principles to consider

A new report looking at physician employment by hospitals and health systems offers six new principles for physicians to consider when evaluating employment opportunities. The principles were recommended in light of changes in the health care environment and recent studies of what drives physician satisfaction in practice.  The report also reaffirmed longstanding AMA policy that supports the freedom of physicians to choose their method of earning a living. Created by the AMA Council on Medical Service, the report notes that there has been a shift toward hospital employment. The AMA’s 2014 Physician Benchmark Survey found that 26 percent of physicians worked in practices that were at least partially owned by a hospital, and another 7 percent were directly employed by hospitals. In a more general look at physician employment across practice settings, the survey found that just over 50 percent of physicians were owners of their practices, while 43 percent were practice employees, and 6 percent were practice contractors.  The report also cites a 2013 study by the AMA and RAND on physicians’ professional satisfaction. The study found that doctors in physician-owned practices were more satisfied than physicians in other ownership models, such as hospitals and corporate environments. But work controls and opportunities to participate in strategic decisions were found to mediate the effect of practice ownership on overall professional satisfaction. Building on such ...
Source: AMA Wire - Category: Journals (General) Authors: Source Type: news