Survey: Admin costs, reimbursement top list of practice challenges
The practice administration costs and reimbursement issues continue to be major sources of concern for most physicians, according to a survey of small to mid-sized medical practices conducted by Practice Fusion, a web-based EHR provider.
The survey highlights the challenges faced by U.S. private medical practices in an environment of economic downturn, technology mandates and healthcare reform:
Doctors were also asked to report their practice's top negative pressures and positive trends in a series of open-ended questions.
Issues relating to practice administration (31 percent), insurance and reimbursement (26 percent) and difficult patients (11 percent) were the top negative pressures on the practices.
Positive trends were led by advancements in medicine (22 percent), patient quality (19 percent) and improvement in the healthcare workforce (15 percent).
The online survey was conducted in December 2010 with MDLinx. Responses to 10 questions were collected from a sample of 100 physicians in the U.S. The majority of respondents were primary care providers in practices with fewer than six providers.
Eighty percent of U.S. physician practices are in groups of nine or less, according to the American Medical Association.
The survey highlights the challenges faced by U.S. private medical practices in an environment of economic downturn, technology mandates and healthcare reform:
- 41 percent of doctors reported that their practice is doing worse this year compared to last year; 26 percent reported their practice is doing better than last year and 31 percent reported no change.
- 73 percent reported that the computers in their practice are more than three years old on average and 21 percent are five to six years-old.
- 69 percent of doctors reported being satisfied to extremely satisfied with their career despite these challenges.
Doctors were also asked to report their practice's top negative pressures and positive trends in a series of open-ended questions.
Issues relating to practice administration (31 percent), insurance and reimbursement (26 percent) and difficult patients (11 percent) were the top negative pressures on the practices.
Positive trends were led by advancements in medicine (22 percent), patient quality (19 percent) and improvement in the healthcare workforce (15 percent).
The online survey was conducted in December 2010 with MDLinx. Responses to 10 questions were collected from a sample of 100 physicians in the U.S. The majority of respondents were primary care providers in practices with fewer than six providers.
Eighty percent of U.S. physician practices are in groups of nine or less, according to the American Medical Association.