Should we care if GPs turn their backs on practice ownership?
The proportion of GPs owning their own practice has fallen from 35% to 25% in just over a decade, researchers claim.
Writing in the Medical Journal of Australia, they said doctors could be deterred from ownership as a result of increased management responsibilities and the financial burdens.
But they said, in 2008, 35% of GPs reported being practice owners compared with just 25% in 2020, with about half of these doctors planning to retire in the next 10 years.
“Corporate business models may have clear advantages for GPs, including financial security and a better work–life balance, and they might benefit patients as they offer a range of on-site medical services and extended opening hours,” wrote the authors, from La Trobe University in Melbourne.
