Physician Challenges in 2015

While the influx of new patients resulting from the ACA will increase the number of people receiving healthcare, the regulations associated with it will add to physicians' administrative duties, as will government regulations associated with HIPAA and Meaningful Use. Further stress will come from the demands of both payers and patients, requiring doctors to walk a fine line to protect themselves from litigation. Technology also will play an increasing role. The continuing move toward EHRs and the new ICD-10 coding standard will require investments in software, testing, and training staff, and may also require an investment in new computer hardware. Physicians and staff will have to teach patients how to use EHR portals and how to follow the record-keeping requirements of their insurance providers. The regulatory changes and increased costs of time and money associated with them may drive many physicians out of private practice and into hospital system-based team practices, which will face a greater challenge in recruiting and retaining top talent. Other physicians, in contrast, may continue to seek the independence of private practice; some of them may decide to stop accepting insurance because of their need for autonomy in their practices. Regardless of what decisions doctors choose to make within the changing nature of healthcare, it is important to keep abreast of the changes and develop a plan for dealing with them, in 2015 and beyond.