PHYSICIAN POLL: Health Insurance Roadblocks and Bureaucracy Fuel Burnout

Published in The American Journal of Managed Care, results of a national poll of physicians reveals the personal and professional toll of utilization management

WASHINGTON, Nov. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Health insurers' utilization management rules can fuel physician burnout, reveals a national survey of 501 physicians conducted by the Alliance for Patient Access and published in The American Journal of Managed Care.

Poll responses demonstrated how tactics such as prior authorization, step therapy and non-medical switching can lead to decreased quality of patient care, worsening physician shortages, and poor physical and mental wellbeing for physicians.

KEY FINDINGS

Physician Burnout on the Rise
Though many factors contribute to physician burnout, results of the national poll suggest that the burden of utilization management is one of the most common.

• Two out of every three physicians polled reported experiencing burnout at some point, with 48% saying they were currently burned out.
• 93% of physicians who reported experiencing burnout say utilization management was a contributing factor.

The Burden of Utilization Management
Surveyed physicians reported that utilization management creates barriers that make it harder to care for patients.

• 95% say utilization management complicates treatment decisions.
• 81% say utilization management undermines their relationship with their patients.

As utilization management takes up more of physicians' resources, it also negatively influences how they feel about their work.

• 52% of physicians spend more than six hours on utilization management paperwork each week.
• 90% enjoy their job less because of utilization management.

The Consequences of Burnout
Burnout symptoms can have drastic consequences on the entire health care system.

• 64% of physicians who've experienced burnout say that they considered leaving their profession early.
• 94% agree burnout can decrease the quality of a patient's care.

STATEMENT FROM JOSIE COOPER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ALLIANCE FOR PATIENT ACCESS: "Physician shortages are already a major patient access challenge, with many medical specialties and geographical regions in dire need. This national poll shows that utilization management tactics stand to worsen those shortages by physically and mentally exhausting providers, who are already in short supply. It is critical that policymakers act with urgency to address these challenges."

ABOUT THE SURVEY

The online poll ran in June 2022 and collected 501 responses from physicians across the United States. The American Journal of Managed Care published the survey's findings in Volume 30 Issue 11.

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SOURCE Alliance for Patient Access