Practice tip of the week: Beating the mid-career blahs

With all the useful information available on Physicians Practice, it is easy to become overwhelmed.

With this in mind, the tip of the week is a chance to reflect on some of the wisdom found all across the site. In this August 2024 article on beating the mid-career blahs, Neil Baum, MD, gives this tip:

Identify the cause of discontent

Start by identifying the cause of your discontent.

According to a survey by Becker Hospital Review the challenges physicians often ranked as significant are:

1. Administrative work — 66% (such as obtaining prior authorization)
2. Reimbursement issues — 57%
3. Staffing shortages — 56%
4. Staff turnover — 50%
5. Electronic health record reporting — 50%
6. Billing and coding requirements — 49%
7. Malpractice premiums — 40%
8. Competition from nonphysician practitioners — 33%
9. Collecting payment from self-pay patients — 29%

It is important to decide if the problem is the practice or you don’t enjoy being an employed physician. At mid-career, you must consider your spouse’s career, your children’s educational needs, and the geographic location where you live and work.

Click here to read the rest of the article and be sure to check back next week for another Tip of the Week!