News in brief - Jan. 24, 2011

20% of Americans have no regular physician - AAP offers physician re-entry tool kit

20% of Americans have no regular physician

One in five Americans has no "usual source of care" -- a particular physician's office or clinic they would visit for medical care -- according to a December 2010 report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Nearly two-thirds of people with no regular physician told researchers they were "never sick" and did not need one. However, 14% of patients said the high cost of care prevented them from establishing a relationship with a physician or a clinic.

Cost was more of a problem for Hispanics than other racial and ethnic groups, with 22% citing cost as the main reason for not having a physician. Meanwhile, Asian-Americans were most likely to say they had no doctor because they did not like or trust physicians, with 12% citing that as the main reason, compared with 3% of white Americans.

AAP offers physician re-entry tool kit

Returning to medical practice after an extended period can be a daunting task, but it's one facing a growing number of physicians.

A free publication by the American Academy of Pediatrics aims to help, by encouraging physicians to plan ahead (www.physicianreentry.org).

It guides physicians through the questions they should ask and steps they should take before leaving practice, as well as what to do in the interim and when they return to work. The publication is part of the AAP's physician re-entry to the work force project, a collaborative of several organizations to facilitate physician re-entry and examine related issues.

"The inventory stresses the need for physicians to look at re-entry as they would any other career move and prepare accordingly," said Holly Mulvey, project co-director. "By addressing personal considerations, regulatory issues, medical liability coverage, financial options and a host of relevant information, the inventory assists physicians in strategically planning for re-entry."

The print version of this content appeared in the Jan. 31 issue of American Medical News.