Docs anticipating changes ahead as ACA progresses

(HealthDay)—Most physicians expect the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to continue as planned and expect further integration in the coming years, according to a report published by Deloitte.

Researchers from the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions (DCHS) surveyed a nationally representative sample of up to about 600 U.S. primary care and specialist physicians in 2013 to examine their perspectives and attitudes to health care reform.

According to the survey, only 31 percent of physicians graded the overall health care system performance favorably. Less than half of those surveyed (44 percent) believe that the ACA is a good start and 82 percent believe it will continue as planned. In 2011, more than half of those surveyed were familiar with delivery system improvement programs, compared with 27 percent in 2012. Most physicians (66 percent of all surveyed) believe that physicians and hospitals will be more integrated in the next one to three years. Sixty-five percent of all physicians report being satisfied with practicing medicine, with top drivers of satisfaction including patient relationships, protecting and promoting health, and intellectual stimulation. Most physicians (78 percent) believe mid-level providers will play a bigger role in direct primary care delivery and 57 percent believe that the practice of medicine is in jeopardy. About half of physicians (51 percent) expect their income to fall dramatically in the next one to three years.

"Physicians recognize that 'the new normal' may necessitate major changes in the profession that require them to practice in a different setting as part of a larger organization that uses technologies and team-based models for patient care," Paul Keckley, Ph.D., executive director of the DCHS, said in a statement.