McKinsey & Co. released the "Physician employment: The path forward in the COVID-19 era" report, which examines responses from physicians about their private practice six weeks into the pandemic.
The report found private practice physicians are worried about their future, but aim to stay autonomous if possible. It also noted that 40 percent of private practice physicians are more likely to refer patients to non-hospital settings for surgery and procedures due to the pandemic.
"A possible rationale is that physicians may be wary of the safety of hospital-based care in the return from COVID-19, although the survey did not include questions to that effect," states the analysis.
Another 26 percent of independent physicians said the pandemic had a neutral impact on their likelihood to send patients to non-hospital locations for surgery or procedures. Twenty-four percent of respondents said the pandemic did not make them more likely to refer patients to non-hospital settings due to the pandemic and 9 percent said the situation was not applicable to their practice.
The independent physicians were slightly more likely to refer patients to non-hospital locations for physician visits and diagnostic testing.