Utilization Management Negatively Impact Physicians and Patient Care, Survey Finds
A national survey published in The American Journal of Managed Care revealed a growing crisis in the U.S. healthcare system: insurance red tape and bureaucratic hurdles lead to physician burnout —compromising patient care and worsening the ongoing doctor shortage. Tactics such as prior authorization, step therapy, and non-medical switching are contributors.
The report noted that many factors lead to physician burnout; however, the burden of utilization management, referring to techniques intended to affect patient care decisions to lower healthcare costs, is the most common.
Per the survey results, two out of three physicians reported experiencing burnout at some point, with 48 percent indicating they were currently burned out. Of the physicians who reported experiencing burnout, 93 percent said utilization management was a contributing factor.
Utilization management, physicians reported, takes up more resources and leads to dissatisfaction with their jobs. Most physicians agreed that burnout decreased the quality of care.
"Physician shortages are already a major patient access challenge, with many medical specialties and geographical regions in dire need. This national poll shows that utilization management tactics stand to worsen those shortages by physically and mentally exhausting providers, who are already in short supply. It is critical that policymakers act with urgency to address these challenges," Josie Cooper, executive director of Alliance for Patient Access, said in a statement.
The survey of 501 physicians was conducted by the Alliance for Patient Access in 2022.
