TUESDAY, Dec. 17, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- About half of physicians say that they plan to practice medicine for a shorter time or leave as soon as feasibly possible due to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to an article published Nov. 29 in Medical Economics.
The journal reports that the physician staffing firm Jackson & Coker surveyed 3,072 practicing physicians regarding the impact of the ACA. Regarding their career timelines, 30 percent said they will stop practicing medicine as soon as is feasible, 19 percent said they will practice medicine for a shorter time than anticipated, 31 percent did not anticipate any changes, and 15 percent were unsure.
Regarding compensation, the survey found that 71 percent of respondents believed the ACA will have a negative effect. The journal notes that other reports have found that physicians are worried that they will be paid less on the exchanges and that some insurance companies have reduced physician payments to lower premiums.
The survey also found that 66 percent of physicians felt that the ACA will require spending more time on administrative duties; 60 percent felt that there will be a negative impact on patient care; and 65 percent felt that there will be an overall negative impact on their practice.
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