11/13/2025
2025 Survey on Physician Autonomy and Impact on Patient Care
The Physicians Foundation recently released findings from its 2025 Survey on Physician Autonomy and Impact on Patient Care, revealing a stark reality: when physicians lose control over how they practice medicine—known as the loss of physician autonomy—patients ultimately pay the price.
The survey of more than 1,000 U.S. physicians found that loss of autonomy is widely viewed as a major threat to the physician workforce and a key factor worsening access to care.
Key findings include:
- Nearly two-thirds (64%) of physicians say limits on autonomy negatively affect the quality and timeliness of patient care, and more than half (57%) report declines in patient satisfaction.
- About three-quarters (73%) report that autonomy limits increase their stress levels, with more than four in ten (45%) indicating these pressures are driving them toward career changes or early retirement.
- Nine in ten (91%) physicians say the loss of autonomy is a major threat to U.S. medicine and will exacerbate the physician shortage; seven in ten (71%) know colleagues who have already left the profession due to autonomy loss.
- Physicians identify third-party practice acquisitions (83%) and rapid consolidation (74%) as major contributors to autonomy loss. More than seven in ten (75%) support stronger state oversight to safeguard physician leadership in care decisions.