Primary care burnout results in $969 million in excess annual spending:
Mayo researchers analyzed the financial impact of primary care physician burnout and turnover using American Medical Association Masterfile data October 12, 2017, and March 15, 2018. (Primary care was defined as family medicine, general internal medicine, general pediatrics, geriatrics, general medicine, general preventive medicine, and obstetrics/gynecology). Key assumptions in the www, nber.org model: 25% of physicians intending to leave their current position in the next 24 months will do so and the average PC practice has 196 Medicare patients. Findings:
Medicare beneficiaries spend an additional $189 the first year after losing a PCP because of increased use of specialty, urgent, and emergency care.
The first year after leaving practice, the excess health care expenditures per PCP total $86,336.
11,339 PCPs are expected to leave their current practice each year.
Turnover of PCPs results in approximately $979 million in excess health care expenditures for public and private payers annually, with $260 million attributable to PCP burnout-related turnover.
From “The Keckley Report”, March 7, 2022
Sinsky et al “Health Care Expenditures Attributable to Primary Care Physician Overall and Burnout-Related Turnover: A Cross-sectional Analysis” Mayo Clinic Proceedings February 26, 2022 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2021.09.013Get rights and content