The Number of Physicians in Private Practice Keeps Declining

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A recent article in MedPage Today shared this:

The percentage of physicians in private practice has continued to decline, according to the American Medical Association’s (AMA) biennial Physician Practice Benchmark Survey. In 2024, 42.2% of physicians worked in private practices; this percentage is down from 46.7% in 2022, and from 60.1% in 2012, when the survey was first conducted.

That’s a loss of 80,000 doctors. And primary care was one of the lowest as far as percentages of those working on their own.

Wow.

The causes, according to the article:

  • Lower payment rates
  • The need to improve access to costly resources
  • Burdensome regulatory and administrative requirements

You know what fixes all this? Direct Primary Care. All of it.

It’s really simple. Leave the system. Is it easy? No. You start with zero money. In fact, you go into more debt starting your practice. But in a few years you are independent and doing the job you always wanted to do.

Don’t want to start your own practice? Then join one.

There is hope and it is just three letters: D P C

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About Douglas Farrago, MD

Dr. Farrago is a retired family physician based in Forest, Virginia. Since 2021, he has run DPCnews.com, a leading resource for the Direct Primary Care (DPC) movement. He is the author of three best-selling books on Direct Primary Care: The Official Guide to Starting Your Own Direct Primary Care Practice The Direct Primary Care Doctor’s Daily Motivational Journal Slowing the Churn in Direct Primary Care (While Also Keeping Your Sanity) In 2016, Dr. Farrago conceived the idea for the Direct Primary Care Alliance and co-founded the organization alongside other pioneering DPC physicians. He is widely recognized as a leading expert in the DPC model and frequently lectures to medical students, residents, and practicing physicians on how to successfully start and run their own DPC practices.Dr. Farrago sold his Direct Primary Care practice in October 2020 but continues to receive care there as a patient.