Many physicians are increasingly burned out and looking to leave medicine and it’s largely because of the corporatization of healthcare, according to a recent survey. 

More than 1,000 working physicians participated in the survey conducted on behalf of Physicians Advocacy Institute, a group representing physician interests, according to a release.  

While 88% of participants reported some level of burnout, nearly half said they frequently feel pressure from their corporate employer to prioritize seeing more patients per day, impacting patient care. Nearly two-thirds report their corporate employer has implemented policies that make it difficult, if not impossible, to refer patients to physicians outside of their employer’s network, regardless of medical need. 

“Corporate owners’ primary allegiance is to profits, not patients. These new data show that this misalignment is evident in many corporate owners’ policies, which all too often restrict physicians’ ability to ensure their patients receive the best possible care,” said Kelly Kenney, chief executive officer of PAI, in a statement. 

The increasing dissatisfaction from healthcare provides comes as more than four in five physicians, or 82%, are now employed by hospitals, health systems or other corporate entities like health insurance companies. More than six in 10 physician practices are owned by corporate entities. 

“Until recently, physicians generally worked for themselves or in physician-owned practices that were fundamentally aligned with their oath to put patients’ wellbeing first. That oath doesn’t waiver simply because they now work for a corporate owned medical practice,” Kenney said. 

To view the full survey report, go to: https://www.physiciansadvocacyinstitute.org/PAI-Research/2026-Employed-Physician-Survey?_sp=6f2486d5-5d03-4859-ac87-688f2d684719.1787330621515