Shalini Modi, MD, service chief of cardiology at Henry Ford West Bloomfield (Mich.), joined Becker's to discuss four major threats physicians are currently facing.
Dr. Shalini Modi: Multiple threats are being faced by physicians. I firmly believe that anything that takes a physician away from their clinical work is a total waste of their core competence and a professional dissatisfaction. To name a few:
- Staffing challenges in the hospitals and clinics.
- Multiple lengthy "in-basket messages" sent by patients expecting a turnaround response of a few hours from their physicians for their various concerns. Accessibility of notes and lab reports coupled with the easy access to the internet generates quite a few questions, which all need an instant resolution per the customer. Some customers feel so empowered in their medical knowledge gained from the internet, friends and family that they constantly challenge an experienced physician who is actually on their side to make the best decisions for them.
- Prior authorizations for tests.
- Government interference.