The Benefits of The Private Practice...For Doctors

Physicians in small primary care practices are less likely to experince burnout according to a new study. 

Dr. Donna Shelley, professor at NYU Langone Medical School, lead the study. She says burnout is defined by low satisfaction in a job due to stress.

Many hospitals and doctor's offices began their transition to electronic health records under the Obama administration, and the added administrative pressure from the software has aggravated burnout rates in doctors. Shelley says, "docs become docs to serve patients" and the electronic health records actually take more time and energy than traditional paper charts, causing doctors to take more time away from patients and work even longer hours. 

She says burnout is a national issue as more independent practices are absorbed by medical conglomerates and become weighed down by bureaucratic requirements.