John P Caloyeras1, Michael Kanter2, Nicole Ives3, Chong Y Kim4, Hemal K Kanzaria5, Sandra H Berry6, Robert H Brook7. 1. Doctoral Fellow at the Pardee RAND Graduate School in Santa Monica, an Assistant Policy Analyst for RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, and a Senior Manager for Global Health Economics for Amgen, Inc, in Thousand Oaks, CA. jcaloyer@rand.org. 2. Medical Director of Quality and Clinical Analysis for the Southern California Permanente Medical Group in Pasadena, CA. michael.h.kanter@kp.org. 3. Senior Consultant for the Southern California Permanente Medical Group in Pasadena, CA. nicole.r.ives@kp.org. 4. Senior Consultant for the Southern California Permanente Medical Group in Pasadena, CA. chong.y.kim@kp.org. 5. Assistant Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, an Emergency Physician at San Francisco General Hospital, and a Natural Scientist for the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica. hemal.kanzaria@ucsf.edu. 6. Senior Behavioral Scientist for the RAND Corporation and a Professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School in Santa Monica, CA. berry@rand.org. 7. Distinguished Chair in Health Care Services for the RAND Corporation, a Professor at the Pardee RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, a Professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine and at the Fielding School of Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles. brook@rand.org.
Abstract
CONTEXT: For health care reform to succeed, health care systems need a professionally satisfied primary care workforce. Evidence suggests that primary care physicians are less satisfied than those in other medical specialties. OBJECTIVE: To assess three domains of physician satisfaction by area of clinical practice among physicians practicing in an established integrated health system. DESIGN: Cross-sectional online survey of all Southern California Permanente Medical Group (SCPMG) partner and associate physicians (N = 1034) who were primarily providing clinic-based care in 1 of 4 geographically and operationally distinct Kaiser Permanente Southern California Medical Centers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary measure was satisfaction with one's day-to-day professional life as a physician. Secondary measures were satisfaction with quality of care and income. RESULTS: Of the 636 physicians responding to the survey (61.5% response rate), on average, 8 in 10 SCPMG physicians reported satisfaction with their day-to-day professional life as a physician. Primary care physicians were only minimally less likely to report being satisfied (difference of 8.2-9.5 percentage points; p < 0.05) than were other physicians. Nearly all physicians (98.2%) were satisfied with the quality of care they are able to provide. Roughly 8 in 10 physicians reported satisfaction with their income. No differences were found between primary care physicians and those in other clinical practice areas regarding satisfaction with quality of care or income. CONCLUSION: It is possible to create practice settings, such as SCPMG, in which most physicians, including those in primary care, experience high levels of professional satisfaction.
CONTEXT: For health care reform to succeed, health care systems need a professionally satisfied primary care workforce. Evidence suggests that primary care physicians are less satisfied than those in other medical specialties. OBJECTIVE: To assess three domains of physician satisfaction by area of clinical practice among physicians practicing in an established integrated health system. DESIGN: Cross-sectional online survey of all Southern California Permanente Medical Group (SCPMG) partner and associate physicians (N = 1034) who were primarily providing clinic-based care in 1 of 4 geographically and operationally distinct Kaiser Permanente Southern California Medical Centers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary measure was satisfaction with one's day-to-day professional life as a physician. Secondary measures were satisfaction with quality of care and income. RESULTS: Of the 636 physicians responding to the survey (61.5% response rate), on average, 8 in 10 SCPMG physicians reported satisfaction with their day-to-day professional life as a physician. Primary care physicians were only minimally less likely to report being satisfied (difference of 8.2-9.5 percentage points; p < 0.05) than were other physicians. Nearly all physicians (98.2%) were satisfied with the quality of care they are able to provide. Roughly 8 in 10 physicians reported satisfaction with their income. No differences were found between primary care physicians and those in other clinical practice areas regarding satisfaction with quality of care or income. CONCLUSION: It is possible to create practice settings, such as SCPMG, in which most physicians, including those in primary care, experience high levels of professional satisfaction.
Authors: Mark Linzer; Sara Poplau; Ellie Grossman; Anita Varkey; Steven Yale; Eric Williams; Lanis Hicks; Roger L Brown; Jill Wallock; Diane Kohnhorst; Michael Barbouche Journal: J Gen Intern Med Date: 2015-02-28 Impact factor: 5.128
Authors: Tait D Shanafelt; Sonja Boone; Litjen Tan; Lotte N Dyrbye; Wayne Sotile; Daniel Satele; Colin P West; Jeff Sloan; Michael R Oreskovich Journal: Arch Intern Med Date: 2012-10-08
Authors: Peggy G Chen; Leslie A Curry; Marcella Nunez-Smith; Elizabeth H Bradley; Mayur M Desai Journal: J Gen Intern Med Date: 2011-08-25 Impact factor: 5.128