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The latest study from YouGov found that most Americans are concerned about the increasing trend of hospital consolidation.
Read more: How independent physicians can combat ongoing hospital consolidation
What do Americans think about the increasing trend of hospital consolidation?
The Large Urology Group Practice Association partnered with YouGov to understand how Americans feel about doctor-owned physician practices, including their advantages over hospital-owned physician practices, and asked their opinions about the endangerment of doctor-owned physician practices.
The takeaway: Americans are worried.
62 percent of adult Americans are worried about how consolidation will impact their access to affordable care
Reasons for concern:
With fewer options, existing hospitals have the ability to increase the prices of care
43% of Gen Z/Millennials
37% of Gen X
30% of Baby boomers
With less competition, hospitals have less incentive to maintain high quality standards that support the best possible outcomes
19% Gen Z/Millennials
27% Gen X
31% Baby boomers
With greater market share, hospitals are buying physician practices or forcing independent physicians, limiting my ability to get care when I want
19% Gen Z/Millennials
22% Gen X
31% Baby boomers
There are fewer hospitals in my area that are able to serve me and my family in an emergency
14% Gen Z/Millennials
13% Gen X
8% Baby boomers
4 in 10 Americans experience common concerns associated with consolidation
20% say My doctor’s schedule does not allow for immediate access
19% say my doctor has limited time to focus on me as a patient
18% say I need to wait too long for appointments / procedures
11% say my doctor sees me as a number and not a person
11% say my doctor has too many patients to remember me
7% say my doctor is prescribing me unnecessary tests / procedures
6% say I don’t understand my illness, and nobody has taken the time to explain it to me
69 percent think the government should act to prevent the trend of consolidation
25 percent think consolidation is a threat to their health
Americans are more likely to trust independent physicians
65 percent trust independent physicians more than hospital-employed physicians.
The gap in trust narrows for younger respondents but widens for older respondents.
Gen Z / Millennials: 53 percent trust independent physicians more
Baby boomer: 75 percent trust independent physicians more
Americans are most likely to associate independent, doctor-owned medical practices with personalized, patient-focused care; trustworthiness; and high quality
Positive associations
Personalized care – 56%
Patient-focused care – 51%
Trust worthiness – 45%
High quality care – 41%
Negative associations
Long waits at the doctor’s office – 18%
Non-state of the art care – 12%
Selling unneeded medications/procedures – 10%
Too busy to personalize care – 8%
More than two-thirds of Americans want a solution to increasing consolidation
33 percent: Insurers should be required to pay hospitals, hospital owned physician groups, and independent physicians the same amount for the same procedures
19 percent: Congress and states should do more to incentivize independent physicians and level the playing field for them with hospitals
17 percent: Congress should empower federal authorities to more closely regulate the purchase of physician practices to prevent hospitals from gaining excessive market share