The Latest from Vital Signs: Physician Burnout Rates, Prior Authorizations, and Other Regulatory Burdens

Vital Signs is a monthly newsletter from AdvancedMD highlighting the healthcare industry’s top trends and insights. It’s our way of helping you stay informed.

The healthcare industry saw slight improvements on multiple fronts last month. To start, a report from Healthcare Dive revealed 11% of prior authorizations have been eliminated since the reforms instituted by insurers last year. Also, the American Medical Association (AMA) reported that burnout rates among physicians are declining. But it wasn’t all good news: a study covered by Medical Economics found that women physicians are 43% more likely to leave their practice than their male counterparts. Also, the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) said that 95% of its members have experienced an increase in regulatory burdens since 2023.

Here’s a recap of everything we learned:

• The policy research firm KFF revealed that nearly a third of U.S. adults have used AI to find healthcare information, with 40% of survey respondents saying the primary reason for using the technology was because they were unable to get an appointment with a provider.
• According to Physicians Practice, one of the biggest complaints physicians have after joining a large medical system is that they lose control over what they believe is the best way to care for patients. Industry data also found provider satisfaction is higher in physician-led organizations compared to those employed by health-system-led practices.
• A Healthcare Dive report on prior authorization trends shows that 11% of prior authorizations have been eliminated since major insurers committed to paring back overly burdensome processes last year. 
• A national study analyzing physician attrition trends found that women physicians are 43% more likely to leave a clinical practice than their male counterparts, regardless of their age, specialty, or practice location, according to Medical Economics. 
• One of the most common questions asked by practice administrators tasked with navigating federal health IT rules is whether or not their practice is legally required to offer a patient portal. In response, Physicians Practice writes, “No single law flatly mandates that every practice deploy a patient portal, but a web of overlapping regulations creates powerful incentives — and, in some cases, real obligations.”
• The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed a new rule to accelerate payer prior authorization processes for drugs, requiring impacted payers to support electronic prior authorization, turn around decisions for drugs faster, and give providers a specific reason if a prior authorization request for a drug is denied, according to Healthcare Dive.
• A Medical Economics report on new data from the American Medical Association (AMA) revealed physician burnout rates are moving in the right direction, with four out of five well-being indicators improving year-over-year.
• A recent study analyzing more than 50,000 insurance claim appeals in the state of New York found that the percentage of denials overturned after patients or their physicians appealed increased from 38% in 2019 to almost 53% last year.
• The 2026 Regulatory Burden Report from MGMA revealed audits and appeals top the list of regulatory burdens physicians face today, with 95% of MGMA members reporting an increase in regulatory burden over the past three years.

Vital Signs is brought to you by AdvancedMD. It’s our way of helping you stay informed on the trends and insights that shape our industry. Each month, we publish a roundup of healthcare headlines so that you are in-the-know when it comes to the topics that matter most to you, your staff, and your patients.