Forget Marcus Welby: Today's docs want a real life

Don't call today's young doctors slackers. True, they may shun a 24/7 on-call solo practice and try to have a life outside of work. Yet they say they're just as committed to medicine as kindly Marcus Welby from 1970s TV, or even grumpy Dr. House. The practice of medicine is in the midst of an evolution, and millennial and Gen X doctors seem to be perfectly suited for it and in some ways may be driving it. The federal health care law is speeding some of these changes, too. "It's a fortunate accident," said economist and health policy expert Robert Reischauer. "The two will reinforce each other." These doctors embrace technology and teamwork. They like electronic medical records and smartphone apps. And they like sharing the load with other doctors on the team.