Healthcare Reform Leading to Poor Physician Satisfaction

As more healthcare reform initiatives gain traction, physician career satisfaction is falling.

That's according to Physicians Practice'srecent poll in which we asked readers: How is healthcare reform affecting your career satisfaction?

The overwhelming majority (67 percent) said it's stressing them out, leading to uncertainty about the future, and causing them to lose the joy in practice. About one-third of respondents (29 percent) said it's too early to tell how it will affect them. Only 3 percent of respondents said it is improving their career satisfaction.

In the coming months, many of reform's key initiatives will continue to pick up speed, including increasing patient access to insurance (through the Medicaid expansion and opening of health insurance exchanges) and increasing adoption of value-based payment by payers (such as through accountable care organizations).

We'll keep a close eye on how those changes continue to impact physician career satisfaction. To help us help you stay informed, please take a few moments to take our 2014 Great American Physician Survey, Sponsored by Kareo. We've added a new survey section strictly focusing on healthcare reform and how it is affecting you, your patients, and your practice.