According to a new survey, U.S. physicians are choosing to work less than they used to. A Survey of America's Physicians: Practice Patterns and Perspectives, conducted by the physician consulting firm Merritt Hawkins on behalf of The Physicians Foundation, questioned 13,575 physicians from March to June 2012. It showed that respondents are working 5.9 fewer hours per week and seeing 16.6 percent fewer patients per day than in 2008. More than 50 percent of physicians said they plan to take steps that would reduce patient access to services, including cutting back on patient load, working part-time, switching to concierge medicine, or retiring. Phil Miller, vice president of communications for Merritt Hawkins, says that these trends are occurring as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act puts pressure on primary care physicians by providing health care coverage to millions more patients.
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