A critical segment of the U.S Physician workforce is age 60 or over. Physicians are entering the field. In fact, approximately 32% of the current Physician workforce is over the age of 60, according to data analyzed from Infogroup USA. While this feeds the already expected Physician shortage, it also triggers an urgent need for health systems and Provider groups to assess their Physician transition needs.

Current Physician recruitment priorities nationally may not correspond to looming transition challenges. Many of the most rapidly aging specialties do not rank among the specialties most frequently requested from national search firms.

Downstream Effects

As Physicians reach their later years of Practice, there are many downstream effects to patient care that require a careful balance to maintain integrity of the overall workforce. Some decisions may be related to practice economics.

Within their last decade of practice, Physicians may:

• Stop participating on emergency call panels
• Work fewer hours
• Limit new patients (overall or for certain payors)
• Cease outreach clinics in secondary service areas
• Limit their scope to a narrow range of procedures

Preparing for Transition Planning

Financial

Transition-related issues, such as compromised call panels, can result in significant service line and budget considerations.

Legal

Physician impairment, Practice transition protocols, and age discrimination issue all require appropriate counsel.

Governance

Medical staff bylaws may require changes to policies to adjust for changing demographics and related concerns.

Practice Style

Integrating older private practice physicians into employed models can be challenging and require additional operational support.

Physician Deployment

Transition planning may require Providers and/or Practices to relocate geographically based on the challenging demographics of many communities.

Group Structures

Aging private Practices may not engage in transition plans, necessitating changes in community dynamics, including hospital group employment.

Final Thoughts

The aging of experienced Physicians is very real and will become increasingly problematic in the coming years. Preparation starts with proactively planning in order to ensure smooth transitions for Physicians and patients alike. Taking a community-focused approach that addresses service line needs rather than targeting individual Physician replacements allows Physicians to engage in the process while ensuring community needs are met.

About SolvEdge

From our humble beginnings as a healthcare start-up—to becoming a full-blown healthcare-exclusive digital transformation provider, our journey has been quite a remarkable one. Today, SolvEdge is a leading-edge Healthcare services and solutions provider—trusted by 450+ Hospitals, 3500+ Physicians and millions of patients across the globe.
By leveraging next-gen technologies like AI/ML, Deep Learning, and NLP/Text Mining Algorithms, our stand-alone technology services help streamline digital healthcare initiatives, including Application Development, Advanced Visualizations, Enterprise Workflow Integration and Guided Care Pathway Management. This includes syntheses of Real-World Evidence by curating, integrating, and harmonizing healthcare datasets into a standard data model—or customized to dovetail into client requirements.
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