The Latest from Vital Signs: Physician Pay Is Up, Practice Leaders Prioritize People-Centric Goals, and Burnout Is Worse for Women Physicians 

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.

Last month, the healthcare industry learned from the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) that medical group owners are prioritizing “people centric” goals, making initiatives like coaching and organizational culture their top focus. It must be working because another MGMA survey revealed that practice leaders say employee morale is up compared to the same time last year. According to Medical Economics, physician pay has increased across all major specialties based on a survey of more than 231,000 physicians. Unfortunately, a survey conducted by the American Medical Association (AMA) discovered that women physicians are more burned out than their male counterparts.   

Here’s a recap of everything we learned:

• Nearly 70% of medical group owners surveyed by MGMA listed “people-centric” goals as their top focus, including coaching and mentoring, change management, and organizational culture.  
• An AMA report found that women physicians are more likely to experience burnout than their male counterparts, with 47.2% of women physicians reporting at least one symptom of burnout in 2024 compared with 38.9% of men.  
• Medical Economics offered guidance on the top six financial indicators that can help medical group owners assess the viability of expanding their practices, starting with financial goals.
• Another AMA report revealed only a third of resident physicians said that they were likely to stay with the healthcare organization after their residency ended.
• According to Medical Economics, a survey of more than 231,000 physicians showed that physician pay is up across all major specialties, with 90% of the participating organizations offering sign-on bonuses as part of their incentive package. 
• Healthcare Dive reported on a recent survey of more than 4,000 U.S. adults that revealed nearly 30% had delayed or skipped recommended care because they couldn’t afford it. 
• Thirty percent of medical group owners surveyed by MGMA reported employee morale was up at their practice compared to the same time last year. 
• Physicians Practice shared common scheduling errors that lead to bottlenecks across medical groups, along with recommendations on creating processes that work for providers and patients. 

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.