Loading...
Hospitalists have emerged as the fastest growing group of practicing physicians in the U.S., but how is that affecting primary care practice? Using Medicare claims data and American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) physician data (1990–2017) investigators assessed nearly 68,000 ABIM-certified general internists and whether they practiced as a hospitalist (>95% inpatient bills); an outpatient-only physician (100% outpatient bills); or mixed-practice physician.
From 2008 to 2018, changes in the proportions of practicing general internists were as follows:
Hospitalists: Increased from 25% to 40%
Outpatient-only physicians: Increased from 23% to 38%
Mixed-practice physicians: Decreased from 52% to 23%
Most of the mixed-practice physicians (75%) who…