Are Family Physicians an Endangered Species?

Dr. William T. Chushing, M.D., J.D, MBA


June 9th, 2010

I had breakfast last week with another Family Physician who, after 14 years of practice, had to close his family medicine practice because, during the last two years, he could not make enough money to pay himself. He could only make enough money to pay the rent and the salaries of the staff.

The burdens imposed by government and insurance companies on Family Physicians will make it impossible for Family Physicians to survive. The extinction of Family Practice physicians will bring the U.S. healthcare system to its knees. Family Physicians have been the front line of the healthcare system.

A Family Physician has to maintain an office, support it with equipment and supplies, staff it with personnel and obtain insurance. Now, the federal government is increasing the costs of maintaining a family medicine practice by mandating that electronic medical record systems be installed and used in these practices.

Electronic medical record systems have been shown to reduce the number of patients a family physician can see by 25 to 30 percent. This is even more devastating when taken in the context of the government and the insurance companies paying the physician less and less for caring for patients. Physicians are being paid less per patient visit and the government is guaranteeing that physicians can see fewer patients. It is a recipe for more Family Physicians to go out of business.

On top of this, the government is demanding more specific and tedious coding and administrative requirements for physicians. This will also add to the costs of doing business.

The costs, direct and indirect, of electronic medical record systems, decreased payments for patient care, more administrative demands by government and insurers, increased costs of maintaining a family medicine practice, increased medical malpractice insurance costs and increased medical malpractice litigation will guarantee the extinction of the Family Physician.

Something has to be done to save the Family Physician.

 Dr. Cushing's blog