{"id":19450,"date":"2021-12-06T14:57:18","date_gmt":"2021-12-06T19:57:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/?p=19450"},"modified":"2023-03-06T11:43:35","modified_gmt":"2023-03-06T16:43:35","slug":"how-to-handle-doctor-retirement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/how-to-handle-doctor-retirement\/","title":{"rendered":"What Should You Do if Your Doctor Retires?"},"content":{"rendered":"

For some, going to the doctor is a once-per-year transactional experience. You wait, get your vitals checked and make sure everything is in order. But perhaps you have a longtime primary care physician who\u2019s been seeing your family for years, or a specialist who helps you manage a chronic condition. <\/span>Learning they are retiring can be bittersweet \u2014 you may be happy for them but worried about what\u2019s next. <\/span><\/p>\n

Research suggests more patients will have to navigate this process in the coming years. <\/span>A 2021 study<\/span><\/a> by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) projects we could have anywhere from 37,800 to 124,000 fewer physicians by 2034 than we do today.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The AAMC collected data before the COVID-19 pandemic, but other research indicates the crisis hasn\u2019t helped. About eight percent of doctors said they shuttered their practices during the pandemic, according to an August 2020 <\/span>survey of 3,500 doctors by the Physicians Foundation<\/span><\/a>. On a larger level, three in one health care workers are considering leaving their jobs due to burnout, per one survey.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Ultimately, 1.1 percent of physicians who closed their practices in April 2020 did not return, <\/span>according to a <\/span>JAMA <\/span><\/i>report<\/span><\/a>. It may seem like a small number, but it\u2019s four times the number of doctors who called it quits in all of 2019 (.33 percent).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Even though this migration is happening in real time, one patient advocate says patients don’t have much to worry about. In fact, your doctor retiring can open up new opportunities for better care.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen doctors retire, it\u2019s a fresh chance for you to evaluate what you need,\u201d says nurse Teri Dreher, a board-certified patient advocate and owner of <\/span>North Shore Patient Advocates<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Consider this your guide to navigating doctor retirement.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Why are doctors retiring?<\/h2>\n

Age. <\/b>The aforementioned 2021 <\/span>AAMC study<\/span><\/a> noted more than two of every five active physicians in the US will turn 65 in the next ten years. That’s right around the time people commonly retire in the U.S.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Job dissatisfaction. <\/b>If you feel like your treatment has become more rushed, you\u2019re not alone. A <\/span>2017 survey by the Physicians Foundation<\/span><\/a> found that only 11 percent of patients and 14 percent of physicians felt that they had enough time together.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMost doctors\u2019 dream is to help people,\u201d says Dr. <\/span>Benjamin Caplan<\/span><\/a>, the founder and chief medical officer of CED Clinic and CED Foundation. \u201cWhen we are pushed from one room to the next, we don\u2019t reap the benefits.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

(Below, Caplan notes COVID-19 concerns have likely only exacerbated job dissatisfaction.)<\/span><\/p>\n

More options. <\/b>For generations, the path for a doctor was relatively straightforward: Complete medical school and residency, and go into clinical practice. But Dr. <\/span>Jordan Grumet, an internist in Illinois, <\/span>says there are several routes doctors can take nowadays that don\u2019t involve patient-to-patient care.<\/span><\/p>\n

From working in research or development at pharmaceutical companies, to becoming medical malpractice consultants, Grumet says there’s a wide swath of jobs that never existed for doctors before.<\/p>\n

How has Covid-19\u00a0impacted the number of doctors retiring?<\/h2>\n

Safety concerns. <\/b>COVID-19 presented a huge risk for healthcare professionals. The likelihood of getting seriously ill from COVID-19 is higher for people in their 50s and continues to increase with age, according to the CDC<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But a project by Kaiser Health and <\/span>The Guardian<\/span><\/i><\/a> found some disturbing trends: More than 3,600 US healthcare workers died during the first year of the pandemic. More than half of them were under 60.<\/span> Caplan says pandemic concerns have really contributed to rollover within healthcare.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDoctors raced to protect the public on the front lines and subjected themselves to working longer hours, and sometimes…there was scarce PPE,\u201d Caplan says. \u201cDoctors are people too with families at home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Finances. <\/b>Though doctor\u2019s offices remained open during pandemic lockdowns, providers were not immune to economic challenges.<\/span><\/p>\n

An April 2020 survey<\/span><\/a> by the California Medical Association (CMA) reported 87 percent of the state’s doctors were concerned about finances, with 33 percent noting a decrease in revenue. Part of the problem? About one-third of providers noticed a decline in patients, even with the option for telehealth.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you were a doctor who didn\u2019t have an economic reason to practice and you were doing it because you loved it and your practice [starts] losing money, it was good reason to get out,” Caplan says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Patient trust. <\/b>A 2021 Harvard survey<\/span><\/a> of Americans showed that 52 percent trust the CDC, and only 37 percent trust the National Institute of Health. Notably, 67 percent of respondents said they trusted their doctors. But Caplan says disagreements over public health guidance, from mask-wearing to vaccines, has exhausted doctors.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBurnout has been a huge part of doctors being like, \u2018This is too much. People don\u2019t believe me anymore. Then I\u2019m going to the hospital and dealing with an onslaught of people who are dying, and I can\u2019t do anything about it,\u2019\u201d Caplan adds.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s the best way to choose a new doctor?<\/h2>\n

Insurance. <\/b>Insurance companies can provide a list of in-network providers. Whether or not the person or practice is the best fit requires more homework, she says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Referrals. <\/b>Friends, family and colleagues may be able to recommend a provider who meets your needs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAsk people [what providers] have treated them well, and who gets them in as soon as they need to be seen,\u201d Dr. Grumet says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dreher suggests tapping into apps like NextDoor or local Facebook groups. Alternatively, one of your best resources for finding a new provider may be tapping into your current one.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf your doctor is leaving and you have some lead time, ask your doctor, \u2018Who practices like you? Who would you send your own family members to?\u2019\u201d Dr. Grumet suggests.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Grumet says that the process is informal from there. The doctor will give you names and contact information for new doctors. You can call to set up a consultation or initial appointment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Interview providers. <\/b>Patients don\u2019t have to commit to a new doctor right away. Dreher suggests meeting the doctor in person first.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you meet with a doctor face-to-face, you get a sense for how kind they are and how they care for people and their values,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Grumet suggests asking questions, such as:<\/span><\/p>\n