Physician Crisis

Calming fears, alleviating suffering, enhancing and saving lives -- this is what motivates doctors virtually every single day. When the structure and culture in which physicians work are well aligned, being a doctor is a most rewarding job. But something has gone wrong in the physician world, and it is urgent that we fix it. Fundamental flaws in the US health care system make it more difficult and less rewarding than ever to be a doctor. The convergence of a complex amalgam of forces prevents primary care and specialty physicians from doing what they most want to do: Put their patients first at every step in the care process every time. Barriers include regulation, bureaucracy, the liability burden, reduced reimbursements, and much more. Physicians must accept the responsibility for guiding our nation toward a better health care delivery system, but the pathway forward -- amidst jarring changes in our health care system -- is not always clear. In The Doctor Crisis, Dr. Jack Cochran, executive director of The Permanente Federation, and author Charles Kenney show how we can improve health care on a grassroots level, regardless of political policy disputes, by improving conditions for physicians and asking them to take on broader accountability; by calling on physicians to be effective leaders as well as excellent clinicians. The authors clarify the necessary steps required to enable physicians to focus on patient care and offer concrete ideas for establishing systems that place patients' needs above all else. Cochran and Kenney make a compelling case that fixing the doctor crisis is a prerequisite to achieving access to quality and affordable health care throughout the United States.

This book is the first volume to individually dissect and explore the reasons physicians are leaving medicine. It lays out potential solutions to many of the problems, which will result in a happier practicing physician. Chapters begin with the nature of the problem, and go through a physician's life cycle on the job, from medical school through post-grad and onwards. Chapters will also cover issues as a practicing physician and how to help alleviate these problems. The book ends with potential solutions to the issue of physician burnout. Physician Burnout: Why Doctors Are Leaving Medicine and How to Fix It is a must-have resource for practicing physicians, healthcare providers, and healthcare management. It is also a great resource for medical school students and those looking to get into the healthcare field.

This book contains five chapters based on papers that were prepared for the Cornell University Medical College Second Conference on Health Policy held in New York City on February 27-28, 1986, plus an introductory chapter and a summary of the discussion written by me as chairman and editor. The title, From Physician Shortage to Patient Shortage: The Uncertain Future of Medical Practice, underscores two of the major changes that are operating to reshape the U.S. health care sector.

Burnout is a major psychological and physical health-related problem for workers in all fields, but especially for those in the fast-paced and rapidly changing world of healthcare. Burnout has severe consequences for patients, including medical error, and is a leading contributing cause of depression and suicide among healthcare workers. Organizational science is just beginning to be applied in earnest to physician burnout and patient safety, and holds several potential keys to addressing these concerns. The Burned Out Physician is for two groups: healthcare workers (especially physicians) and patients. Physicians will use this book to get an accurate picture of what they are experiencing and how to change it, and patients will use this book to see what their healthcare providers are experiencing and learn how to help and/or protect themselves. The volume includes a checklist of burnout symptoms, and crucially a list of solutions as part of an active effort to solve the burnout crisis.