The PMD Critical List: 3 in 4 Physicians Open to Career Change

A new study finds nearly 75% of physicians say they’d be open to changing jobs, though not all are actively looking for a new career. That story tops this week’s PMD Critical List. Also making the list: Should writing a condolence letter be mandatory for oncologists when a patient dies?

• 3 in 4 Physicians Could Change Careers (Health Leaders Media)

“A total of 72.5% doctors may not be looking for a different job, but could be curious about a new opportunity,” according to Medicus Firm survey. Top factors that could drive physicians to change jobs are: schedule/call coverage/work hours, financial rewards and geographic location.

• Condolence Letters from Doctors Helps (Science Daily)

“The results of a new survey published in ecancermedicalscience.com indicate that a majority of oncology professionals believe that writing condolence letters to the families of deceased patients is an important component of cancer palliative care.” Should it be policy?

• Half of US Cancer Deaths Due to Bad Habits (NBC News)

As many as 40% of cancer cases, and half of cancer deaths, come down to things people could easily change, according to a Harvard Medical School research team. “If people quit smoking, avoided heavy drinking, kept a healthy weight, and got just a half hour a day of moderate exercise” most cancer could be prevented.

• How to Make Hospitals Less Deadly (Becker’s Hospital Report)

Attorney James Lieber, author of the book “Killer Care: How Medical Error Became America's Third Largest Cause of Death and What Can Be Done About It,” shares five reforms that could make hospitals safer. “Thousands of lives are on the line,” he says.

• Congress Approves Medical Pot for Veterans (US News & World Report)

Marijuana reform advocates celebrated after Congress approved a spending bill amendment aiming to allow Veterans Health Administration doctors to authorize medical pot use for patients. Here’s an in-depth report on the politics and policy surrounding medical marijuana.

• Doctor-Patient Relationship in “Very Good Shape” (PhysiciansFoundation.org)

The Physicians Foundation is out with its 2016 Patient Survey. Some findings: 95% of patients are satisfied or very satisfied with their primary care physician, 96% feel their physicians are respectful of them, and 93% were satisfied or very satisfied with how well their PCP listened to them during their most recent exam.

• Many Physicians Lack Understanding of Cost of Test and Procedures (DOTmed.com)

A Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice study “found that while the overwhelming majority of physicians (92.2%) felt that doctors had a responsibility to control costs, less than 40% report having a firm understanding of the costs of tests and procedures to the health care system.”

• Prevalence, Characteristics of Physicians Prone to Malpractice Claims (The Hospitalist)

According to National Practitioner Data Bank info, “a small group of US physicians accounted for a disproportionately large share of paid malpractice claims. Several physician characteristics, most notably the number of previous claims and physician specialty (IMs), were significantly associated with recurrence of claims.

• ER Physicians Struggle with Huge Debts (FierceHealthFinance)

While ER doctors are in demand, soaring medical education debt has cast doubt on how well the pipeline will be supplied in the coming years. A new Annals of Emergency Medicine study shows that the median debt taken on by an ER doctor in California now reaches $212,000.