How is the economy of healthcare affecting those who provide its services? Certainly this sector of the economy was, and still is, a stalwart against most of the downturn’s deleterious effects resulting in lay-offs and pay cuts. Still, healthcare is not totally immune as regional, social, and political variances are causing healthcare organizations to trim costs. Pay freezes, hiring freezes, and the cancelation of many procedure based services are just a few of the ways some systems are surviving the storm. What about the physician as a singular entity? Conditions are not as rosy as you may think. Some are quitting the practice of medicine altogether. Even in specialties where reimbursements for services are quite healthy, individual docs are feeling the pinch of high overhead, low patient censuses (because of the loss of coverage), and the cost of staffing. It’s enough for one OB/GYN physician to call it quits and repair jewelry (!) | LINK

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