Top Challenges Facing Physicians in 2014
September 11, 2014
The landscape of health insurance is becoming more and more uncertain now more than ever.
Medical Economics recently polled physicians on their concerns for 2014, and dealing with payers was one of the top issues cited. “Getting done what patients need will be very difficult if we have to call for everything including for medications,” one doctor told Medical Economics anonymously. “Payment wise, MDs have no say. Take it or leave it. Like UnitedHealthcare thinks now patients are theirs and not doctors’.” Insurance companies dictate which doctor, which medicine, which test, how long in the hospital,” said another surveyed physician. Healthcare is in the throes of great change and history has shown that large-scale disruption incubates innovation.
Physicians will need to reinvent their operations to create efficiencies and thoroughly evaluate the revenue cycle to maximize cash flow. That means you will need to review payer contracts, and look at adopting technology to improve patient care. You may have to re-engineer workloads, workflows and staff responsibilities.
It is this premise that Medical Economics is showcasing with this list of 10 challenges and opportunities facing physicians next year. We believe that understanding the dynamics of a changing market will ultimately help physicians shape it, adapt to it and succeed.
Below is a list of the Top Ten Challenges the Physicians are facing:
- Payment for medical services
- Government mandates
- Payer headaches, and the fine print
- Time
- Technology costs
- Staffing and training
- Putting control back in the hands of physicians
- Changing patient populations
- Primary care’s changing role
- Work-life balance
View the full article at Medical Economics: