Physicians frustrated by third-party interference

(HealthDay)—Third-party interference is the most commonly cited key frustration for physicians, according to the results of a survey published in Physicians Practice.

In the Great American Physician Survey 2013, 1,100 physicians were surveyed about their frustrations with practicing medicine. Physicians were asked to choose one reason above all others for not becoming a physician.

The main frustration cited was too much third-party interference, which was cited by more than one-third of respondents, and was the most common response for partners/co-owners (41 percent), physicians employed by hospitals and other institutions (22 percent), and physicians employed in practices (35 percent). In addition, stress (12, 19, and 18 percent, respectively); professional or personal reward not aligning with expectations (13, 13, and 21 percent, respectively), and inadequate compensation (7, 16, and 12 percent, respectively) were commonly cited. Partners/co-owners cited declining ability to practice independently (19 percent) as a frustration, while physicians employed by hospitals and other institutions reported long hours as a key frustration more often than did those in other groups.

According to the report: "Too much third-party interference received the highest percentage of responses, with more than one-third of [the] 1,100 physician survey takers citing it as the main reason."

Health News Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved.