The continued consolidation of physician groups and health systems is pushing procedures to hospital outpatient departments over ASCs, driving Medicare costs up, according to a study published July 25 in Science Direct. 

After months of negotiations, physicians and fellows at Bakersfield, Calif.-based Kern Medical Center reached an agreement with hospital management, according to an Aug. 7 news release shared with Becker's.  

Eleven specialties saw year-over-year starting salary growth in 2024, according to an Aug. 1 analysis published by healthcare staffing firm AMN Healthcare.

The last 10 years have seen a notable drop in the share of physicians who are independently employed. 

Though general physician burnout is on the decline in 2024, female physicians are still more likely to experience burnout symptoms than their male counterparts, according to an Aug. 6 report from the American Medical Association. 

Norfolk, Va.,-based Sentara Health plans to roughly double the amount of residency and fellowship positions offered through the system, according to an Aug. 5 Williamsburg Yorktown Daily report. 

As the physician shortage mounts, many leaders have found the number of physicians in leadership positions has also dipped. 

The Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University (Philadelphia) and Pennsylvania-based WellSpan Health have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a regional campus in York County, according to a release by the affiliation. 

Nari Heshmati, MD, has been named by Fort Myers, Fla.-based Lee Health's Physician Group as chief physician executive.

Corporations and private equity are taking an interest in healthcare — for better or worse. 

Amid labor shortages, consolidation and increased demand for healthcare services, physician employment is a complex environment. 

The Justice Department introduced a pilot program to reward whistleblowers who provide evidence of corporate misconduct in efforts to uncover and prosecute corporate wrongdoing.

Nari Heshmati, MD, former executive medical director for Optum Washington, has joined Fort Myers, Fla.-based Lee Health's Physician Group as chief physician executive, Dr. Heshmati shared with Becker's. 

The Medical Association of the State of Alabama and the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners is now accepting applications for a new physician training program, the Alabama Political Reporter reported Aug. 1. 

The physician workforce faces a number of converging factors –– heavy workloads, insufficient pay, staffing shortages and an increasing lack of autonomy in employed settings. Some have turned to unions and labor action as a tool in improving conditions for themselves and their patients. 

Amid the push and pull on prior authorization, reimbursements and post-procedure clawbacks, three physicians joined Becker's  to discuss what's missing in conversations with payers. 

Here are 15 physician leaders that have announced plans to retire or entered retirement in 2024, as reported by Becker's since Jan. 29:

Sound Physicians will lay off 98 employees in Tucson, Ariz., according to regulatory documents filed with the state July 30.

U.S. News & World Report has released its annual list of the most diverse medical schools in the U.S. for 2024 and 2025, with Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta earning the top ranking. 

Stark law policies could be more vulnerable to legal challenges after the Supreme Court overturned the 40-year-old legal precedent known as Chevron deference, which said during disputes over regulation of an ambiguous law, judges should defer to federal agency interpretations within reason, National Law Review reported July 23.