Los Angeles-based Prospect Medical Holdings, a private equity-backed company with a portfolio of more than 11,000 physicians, filed for Chapter 11 protection Jan. 11. 

Physicians' sense of autonomy in employed settings and their ability and inclination to operate an independent practice have dually declined in recent years, becoming a central concern for physicians across specialties. 

Seven major Stark Law indictments contributed to a record-breaking year for whistleblower qui tam lawsuits in 2024, according to a Jan. 15 Justice Department report. 

Trinity Health of New England is outsourcing the employment of more than 100 physicians at its Connecticut hospital to medical group Vituity, Trinity said in a statement shared with Becker's. 

Only 65% of physicians report being satisfied or very satisfied with their profession, according to a 2024 survey from Health eCareers. 

Physician union activity has been high since the beginning of 2025.

More than 15,000 physicians have signed a letter pushing senators to vote against the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump's nomination for secretary of HHS. 

Physician-assisted suicide has appeared in headlines in recent months as some states seek to expand access to the practice. 

Here are three physician union updates in the last week, as reported by Becker's:

Union physicians at four NYC Health + Hospitals in New York City intend to strike onJan. 13. 

Autonomy is on many physicians' minds as the workforce becomes increasingly consolidated and the number of employed physicians grows. 

A physician in Indianapolis is suing the Indiana Department of Health and members of the state medical licensing board in federal court over enforcement of a state law regarding reporting requirements for physicians that perform abortions, the Daily Journal reported Dec. 31. Her lawsuit alleges that the requirement conflicts with new federal health privacy requirements that prohibit such disclosures. 

Physicians faced numerous challenges in 2024, from increased legal pitfalls in some areas of care to deteriorating physician autonomy. 

Congress has signed a downsized funding bill to avoid a government shutdown, which did not include a bipartisan package that would have offset CMS' 2.85% cut to physician payments in 2025. 

2024 has become a more legally treacherous year for physicians and it's affecting the way they practice medicine. 

President Joe Biden recently commuted the prison sentence of Shelinder Aggarwal, who was allegedly the most prolific Medicare prescriber of opioids in the U.S., WAFF reported Dec. 17. 

Members of the Committee of Interns and Residents at George Washington University Hospital in Washington have reached a tentative labor deal, averting a strike. 

Physician autonomy is a central concern for physicians and physician leaders heading into 2025, as just 44% of physicians owned their own practice in 2022, compared with 76% in the early 1980s, according to the American Medical Association. 

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against a physician in New York for prescribing abortion medication to a Texas resident through telemedicine services. 

The Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston has broken ground on a new medical school building, Live 5 News reported Dec. 13.