Only 27 percent of IM residents are picking primary care careers
“Other studies have focused on why students are turning away from primary care disciplines and have found that declining reimbursement for nonprocedural care, the opportunity for a controllable lifestyle and a medical culture in which subspecialists are seen as more prestigious have played a big part . . .

. . . He didn’t think that would be the case if he went into primary care, where he might earn $110,000 a year and take home $70,000 to $80,000 after taxes. That’s a salary someone with less education and training can earn in other fields, without the debt of medical school, years spent training and commitment to a lifetime of being on call, he said.”

More evidence that students are looking at the bottom line when they choose careers.

Update:
Medrants has more on this: “When the insurance companies and CMS devalue generalist care, then residents will look elsewhere. I write often about the problem of increasing overhead due to malpractice costs, compliance with federal regulations (e.g., HIPAA), documentation and personnel costs. I am not aware of any other business which has gross income constrained in the face of increasing overhead. Thus, as the article states eloquently, net income must decrease.”

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