Poll: Ohio MDs Say Insurance Ending Practice

Poll: Ohio MDs Say Insurance Ending Practice

NU Online News Service, April 19, 12:52 p.m. EDT?Some 58 percent of Ohio's doctors surveyed in a new poll said they will close their medical practices within three years if medical malpractice insurance rates continue to soar, according to the Ohio State Medical Association.[@@]

The poll also found that 34 percent of Ohio physicians surveyed said they expect to close their practices within the next two years if the current insurance environment persists.

The survey, conducted by the Ohio State Medical Association in March and April, was randomly distributed to 4,000 Ohio doctors, to assess their top concerns in their medical practices.

Additional study findings include:

? Around 80 percent of those surveyed agreed that rising insurance rates have "directly impacted" their patients and that they are very concerned about patient access because of the health care crisis.

? More than 51 percent of doctors surveyed said they believe the way they practice medicine has changed because of the insurance rate hikes. They reported troubles hiring new physicians and said that they have doctors leaving their practice groups.

? More than 56 percent of those surveyed said they have boosted the number of tests they have ordered for their patients, in order to protect themselves from potential liability. These defensive medicine practices can be linked to rising health care costs for patients, doctors said.

"These statistics confirm that Ohio is facing a real health care crisis," according to the Ohio State Medical Association president, William Sternfeld.

Dr. Sternfeld said that with reimbursements declining?and expenses dramatically going up?more and more Ohio doctors are faced with the decision of whether to leave the state, retire or even close their practice.

"Any of these decisions," he said, "reduce the availability of quality health care and forces fewer physicians to see more patients."