The Doctor’s Office Becomes an Assembly Line

December 29, 2021

(Wall Street Journal) – But the pandemic merely accelerated a decadeslong trend. In 1983, more than 75% of physicians owned their own practices, according to American Medical Association physician surveys. By 2018 that figure had dropped to 46%. Many practices have been purchased by hospitals or have merged to form larger clinics, while local hospitals have been subsumed into large health systems. Consolidation is the trend. An AMA report earlier this year found that for the first time, less than half of doctors work in private practices. This is a problem for patients like those who went in search of my father—there are simply fewer places to seek care, and many of those that are available are bureaucratic mega-facilities.  (Read More)