Briefing from The New York Times: A recent study from the American Medical Association finds that doctors have reduced their work hours over the past decade.  Average hours dropped from 55 to 51 hours a week from 1996 to 2008.  It is important to note that work-hour limits for residents were introduced in 2003, but even after researchers removed residents from the analysis, the study still showed a 6% overall decline in total work hours.

Healthcare Marketing Take-Away: Many factors, including the recent growth of concierge practices, play a part in this statistic.  Concierge practices allow doctors to see a much lower patient load, at a higher price to patients,  in return for being readily available for their healthcare needs. You can find more information on concierge practices here.  Also, with upgrades in technology over the past decade, physicians are able to manage their time with patients more effectively, which could definitely translate into a few less hours of work time per week.  EMR technology, for example, saves doctors time that they normally had to spend locating and filling out paperwork in the past.  Overall, physicians should not see this study as an insult, but instead should look at it as the result of being much more efficient with the overall patient experience.

Physicians, what are your thoughts??