And Even Bigger Changes May Be in Store
9. You May Change Your Practice Setting
If the financial burden of running a small private practice becomes too difficult, you may find yourself selling the practice to a large group or a hospital. Or you may decide to form a strategic alliance with other practices and hospitals to form an Accountable Care Organization, sharing the financial risks.
A 2011 survey from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) found that 60% of doctors who were active AAFP members were fully employed by hospitals, health systems, physician groups, or a university-owned hospital or clinic.[10] Only 35% were either in solo practice or were partial owners of a practice.
Similarly, "over the past decade, the number of independent U.S. physicians has dropped dramatically, from 57 percent in 2000 to 39 percent in 2012," says a recent Accenture report.[11] Among the reasons, according to Medscape's Employed Doctors Report 2014: 38% said financial security, 29% said fewer administrative responsibilities, and 19% said better hours.[12]
10. You'll Offer More Preventive Services
Recent developments suggest that you may offer more preventive services in the next few years. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) now mandates that most health insurance plans cover a long list of preventive services -- without charging a copay or coinsurance. With that in mind, you may want to stock up on supplies, because you'll probably be doing more cholesterol, colorectal cancer, diabetes, HIV, and blood pressure screening, and giving a lot more vaccinations.[13] All these preventative services are now covered, thanks to the ACA.
The new national focus on population health management is also encouraging the shift from intervention to prevention. This approach evaluates a patient population for risk and concentrates more medical services on those with higher risk for disease or complications.
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Cite this: 10 Cool, Amazing Gadgets and Trends to Help Your Practice - Medscape - Jun 18, 2014.
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