And four more news items for physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and CRNAs to peruse this week.
- A new study published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine (JABFM) reveals that physicians in small, independent primary care practices in an urban setting experience considerably lower levels of burnout when compared to the national average, reports FierceHealthcare. Researchers conducted a cross-sectional analysis, using data gathered from 235 providers practicing in 174 practices situated in New York City. The rate of provider-reported burnout was 13.5 percent, markedly lower than nationwide estimates of 54.4 percent.
- Last week, The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) highlighted key findings from its 2017 Statistical Report of Certified Physician Assistants by Specialty. The percentage of physician assistants (PAs) practicing in surgical subspecialties increased more than 70 percent since 2013. Other results noted in the Business Wire press release: the number of PAs in all practice specialties has grown over 13 percent since the NCCPA published its 2015 specialty report, and emerging specialties include addiction medicine and hospice/palliative care.
- Medscape’s Patients Sexually Harassing Physicians Report 2018 indicates 27 percent of physicians have been sexually harassed by at least one patient within the past three years. By far, behaving in an overtly sexual manner toward their provider was the most common offense. When a patient acted inappropriately, 62 percent of female physicians and 39 percent of male doctors surveyed said “no” and told them to stop. Eleven percent of female providers and six percent of male physicians who participated in the report dismissed such patients from their practice.
- According to a recent Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) press release, the federal agency is advancing the Medicare Advantage Qualifying Payment Arrangement Incentive (MAQI) Demonstration. Upon sanction and implementation, MAQI would relinquish Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) requirements for clinicians who adequately take part in certain at-risk Medicare Advantage Plans. CMS is seeking public comment on the information collection burdens associated with the demonstration, which is under consideration for formal approval.
- Becker’s Hospital Review shares data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, collected last year, regarding 14 states with the highest number of employed physicians and surgeons in the country. (The figures presented include providers employed at hospitals, health systems, and other organizations, but not self-employed doctors.) With 46,080, New York boasts the greatest number of employed physicians and surgeons in the nation, followed by California (29,890) and Pennsylvania (19,820), respectively.
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