The average physician worked 43 hours a week in 2022 — and for 17 percent of physicians, more than 20 of those were spent on prior authorizations, according to a report by Medical Economics.
The publication's "Physician Report" for 2023, published Aug. 4, surveyed physicians of multiple specialties on salaries, productivity, malpractice rates, the state of the profession and other topics.
The report found the time spent weekly on prior authorizations ranged from zero hours to more than 20.
Here is a breakdown of long physicians spend on prior authorizations each week:
|
Hours spent on prior authorizations |
Percentage of respondents |
|
20+ |
17 percent |
|
16-20 |
9 percent |
|
10-15 |
26 percent |
|
1-9 |
39 percent |
|
0 |
9 percent |