We often hear how important patient satisfaction is in the healthcare industry. How to earn it, how to gauge it, and how to improve it. However, something we don’t hear a lot about is doctor satisfaction, which is steadily declining.

A recent study showed that 67% of physicians know a doctor that is likely to stop practicing. 51% of doctors said that they have considered changing careers, 78% say that they feel rushed with their patients, and 87% believe that big business has changed healthcare for the worse. These are dismal numbers for a group of people who most likely got into medicine simply for the joy of treating people.

With increasing demands and stress, most facilities are turning towards LEAN thinking to relieve pressure, and increase doctor-patient visit time to potentially increase doctor satisfaction. This Article underlines the struggles facing the healthcare industry answering the question, “How do we take care of our patients if we don’t take care of our doctors?”