Report: 70% of Hospitals, Health Systems Plan To Hire More Physicians

Seventy percent of U.S. hospitals and health systems plan to employ more physicians over the next one to three years, according to a report by MedSynergies and HealthLeaders Media, FierceHealthcare reports.

The survey of hospitals and health systems also found that:

• 76% currently use a full employment medical staff model; and
• 62% use the traditional volunteer medical staff model.

In addition, the survey found that 67% of hospitals have received more requests from independent physician groups about employment (Cheung, FierceHealthcare, 10/12).

JR Thomas, president and CEO of MedSynergies, said, "Reductions in fee schedules for Medicare combined with the ailing economy were already driving physicians to seek safe havens before we embarked on health care reform." He added, "Now, the [federal health reform law] has increased the complexity of operating a practice, but physicians are weary of the hospital and health system relationship, preferring practice autonomy to hospital governance and local politics" (Hethcock, Dallas Business Journal, 10/12).

The report follows the release of a Merritt Hawkins & Associates survey last week that found more than 30% of first-year residents would prefer to be employed by a hospital, compared with 22% in 2008 (FierceHealthcare, 10/12).