20% of docs do 80% of clinical work: study

About 20% of physicians on staff at hospitals do about 80% of all clinical work, according to a new study by the San Diego-based Governance Institute. Meanwhile, the active medical staff as a percentage of total doctors does not exceed 66% in any of the hospitals surveyed and stands at just 33% at facilities with less than 100 doctors on staff, the study said. The survey, which covered issues ranging from staff size to the average number of medical staff committees, was compiled from 124 responses by the Greeley Co. The survey also found that only about 38.2% of physicians on staff visited their hospitals each week. "As the tables in this report show," said Hugh Greeley, author of the report, "many physicians are maintained on the active staff of responding hospitals despite the fact that they do not find the need to use the capabilities of the hospital on a regular basis." He said he expects that bylaws will be modified at many hospitals as a way to "further align truly active physicians with the institution, while maintaining a place for those who require the services of the hospital on an infrequent basis." -- by Michael Romano