Connecting the Anticompetitive Dots Between Physician Work Hours and Physician Supply and Demand

4sight Health January 4, 2023
David Burda

In a recent blog post, I wrote about doctors and nurse practitioners having a lot in common other than doctors not wanting states to expand NPs’ scope of practice — a policy change that could hurt doctors’ earning power because of more competition from NPs.

A new study in JAMA Internal Medicine adds even more intrigue to that dynamic. It turns out, doctors are putting in fewer hours per week, which, in the absence of more doctors or competition from NPs, should increase their earning power. Instead, NPs are putting in more hours per week, filling the time gap and keeping doctors’ earning power in neutral.

Researchers from Boston University and Harvard studied the weekly work hours reported by physicians...

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