Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Background
Some generalist physicians whose training prepared them for primary care practice increasingly practice in a facility (eg, hospitals, nursing homes); however, whether this trend was accompanied by a complimentary rise in generalist physicians who focused their practice on office-based care is unknown.Objectives
Our objective in this study was to examine trends in the prevalence of generalist physicians and physician groups that practice in a single setting.Research design
This was a retrospective cross-sectional study of generalist physicians trained in family medicine, internal medicine, or geriatrics. We used 2014-2017 billing data for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries to measure the proportion of all patient visits made by physicians in the following care settings: office, outpatient hospital department, inpatient hospital, and other sites.Results
From 2014 to 2017, the proportion of generalist physicians who narrowed their practice to a single setting increased by 6.69% (from 62.80% to 67.00%, p for trend <0.001). In 2017, 4.63% of physician groups included more than 1 type of setting-based physicians.Conclusions
Generalist physicians treating older adults increasingly narrowed their practice focus to a single type of health care setting. This trend was not accompanied by growth among physician groups that included different types of setting-based physicians. Further evaluation of the consequences of these trends on the fragmentation of primary care delivery across different health care settings and primary care outcomes is needed.
SUBMITTER: Ryskina KL
PROVIDER: S-EPMC9588651 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Ryskina Kira L KL Unruh Mark Aaron MA Qian Yuting Y Jung Hye-Young HY
Medical care 20220906 11
<h4>Background</h4>Some generalist physicians whose training prepared them for primary care practice increasingly practice in a facility (eg, hospitals, nursing homes); however, whether this trend was accompanied by a complimentary rise in generalist physicians who focused their practice on office-based care is unknown.<h4>Objectives</h4>Our objective in this study was to examine trends in the prevalence of generalist physicians and physician groups that practice in a single setting.<h4>Research ...[more]