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Practice Characteristics (practice + characteristic)
Selected AbstractsPractice Characteristics and HMO Enrollee Satisfaction with Specialty Care: An Analysis of Patients with Glaucoma and Diabetic RetinopathyHEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH, Issue 4 2003José J. Escarce Background. The specialist's role in caring for managed care patients is likely to grow. Thus, assessing the correlates of patient satisfaction with specialty care is essential. Objective. To examine the association between characteristics of eye care practices and satisfaction with eye care among working age patients with open-angle glaucoma (OAG) or diabetic retinopathy (DR). Subjects/Study Setting. A total of 913 working age patients with OAG or DR enrolled in six commercial managed care health plans. The patients were treated in 144 different eye care practices. Study Design. We used a patient survey to obtain information on patient characteristics and satisfaction with eye care, measured by scores on satisfaction subscales of the 18-item Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire. We used a survey of eye care practices to obtain information on practice characteristics, including provider specialties, practice organization, financial features, and utilization and quality management systems. We estimated logistic regression models to assess the association of patient and practice characteristics with high levels of patient satisfaction. Principal Findings. Treatment in a practice with a glaucoma specialist (for OAG patients) or a retina specialist (for DR patients) was associated with higher satisfaction, whereas treatment in a practice that obtained a high proportion of its revenues from capitation payments or in a group practice where providers obtained a high proportion of their incomes from bonuses was associated with lower satisfaction. Conclusions. Many eye care patients prefer to be treated by specialists with expertise in their conditions. Financial arrangement features of eye care practices also are associated with patient satisfaction with care. The most likely mechanisms underlying these associations are effects on provider behavior and satisfaction, which in turn influence patient satisfaction. Managed care plans and provider groups should aim to minimize the negative impact of managed care features on patient satisfaction. [source] Clinical Practice Characteristics and Preconception Counseling Strategies of Health Care Providers Who Recommend Alcohol Abstinence During PregnancyALCOHOLISM, Issue 11 2004Suzanne C. Tough Objective: National initiatives on fetal alcohol syndrome in Canada and the United States aimed at prevention, identification, and treatment of individuals who are affected by alcohol exposure in utero recommend that women abstain from consuming alcohol during pregnancy. Health care providers are key educators regarding appropriate alcohol use. The objective of this study was to describe characteristics of physicians who recommend alcohol abstinence during pregnancy with regard to knowledge of fetal alcohol syndrome and preconception counseling strategies. Methods: A survey was mailed to Canadian physicians and midwives between 2001 and 2002. Participants consisted of a national random sample of 1090 Canadian obstetricians and gynecologists, midwives, and family physicians who were current members of provincial and national professional organizations. The main outcome measure was questionnaire responses to knowledge, prevention, and diagnosis of issues related to alcohol use during pregnancy. Results: Response rates ranged from 31.1% among family physicians to 63.5% among midwives. Overall, 91.2% of providers recommended abstinence from alcohol during pregnancy. These providers were significantly more likely to believe that there is sufficient information about alcohol use and that clients were interested in discussing alcohol (p < 0.05). They were also significantly more likely to discuss depression, personal alcohol use, partner's use of alcohol, and family history of alcohol misuse with women of childbearing age (p < 0.05). Once a patient became pregnant, fewer practice differences were noted, although those who recommended alcohol abstinence were significantly more likely to take clinical action when pregnant patients were consuming moderate amounts of alcohol (p < 0.05). Conclusions: It is encouraging that almost 90% of Canadian health care providers recommend abstinence from alcohol during pregnancy. However, differences in clinical practice exist between providers who recommend alcohol abstinence during pregnancy as compared with those who recommend a "glass in moderation." [source] Mediator reflections on practice: Connecting select demographics and preferred orientationsCONFLICT RESOLUTION QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2003Margaret S. Herrman This article uses several indicators of a mediator's orientation: (1) his or her goals, (2) focus on the process of mediation, (3) perceptions of personal strengths, (4) the signals that tell him or her that a mediation is working, and (5) his or her preferred outcome. We examine how select demographic and practice characteristics,sex, experience as a mediator, professional background, and organizational context,relate to orientations. The characteristics of sex and professional background significantly modify the general pattern in ways that confirm assumptions common in the literatures on negotiation and mediation. [source] Physician characteristics associated with prescription of inappropriate medications using Beers criteriaGERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY INTERNATIONAL, Issue 4 2007Hirohisa Imai Background: The prescription of potentially inappropriate medications (PIM) for elderly patients represents a major problem. In the published work, various practice characteristics associated with physicians prescribing habits have been reported. However, existing data has shed little light on the characteristics of physicians who tend to prescribe PIM. We examined whether personal, professional or practice characteristics differ between physicians who prescribe PIM and those who do not. Methods: The subjects comprised primary care and general practice physicians. Physicians were identified from the pharmacy database of a managed care organization as having prescribed medications for Medicare patients over 65 years enrolled in a managed care plan. We adopted Beers criteria to describe the prevalence of PIM use. The physicians were divided into three groups according to number of PIM prescribed. To examine the extent of associations between all the physician-related characteristics studied, polychotomous logistic regression was conducted. Results: Physicians who prescribed one to five PIMs were 0.63 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.41,0.98) times more likely to have publications than physicians who prescribed no PIM. Physicians who prescribed more than six PIM were 3.18 (95% CI, 2.05,4.95) times more likely to be certified by an internal medicine board, 0.48 (95% CI, 0.30,0.78) times more likely to have publications, and 1.84 (95% CI, 1.01,3.35) times more likely to be in solo practice than physicians who prescribed no PIM. Conclusion: In this study, we found three predictors of PIM prescribing incidence. Since the current study could only describe associations and not causality, further research is necessary. [source] Physician's production of primary care in Ontario, CanadaHEALTH ECONOMICS, Issue 1 2010Sisira Sarma Abstract This paper examines the factors affecting the number of patient visits per week reported by family physicians in Ontario. The way that a physician is paid is potentially endogenous to the number of patients seen per week, thus an instrumental variable method of estimation is employed to account for the endogeneity bias. Once account is taken of the endogeneity of remuneration as well as relevant physician and practice characteristics, the estimated elasticity of output with respect to hours worked is 0.74; 0.68 in group practices and 0.82 in solo practices. Physicians paid on a non-fee-for-service (NFFS) conduct 15,31% fewer patient visits per week in comparison to those paid under an FFS scheme. Certain patient populations in practices affect patient visits in important ways, as do a number of physician and practice characteristics. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Practice Characteristics and HMO Enrollee Satisfaction with Specialty Care: An Analysis of Patients with Glaucoma and Diabetic RetinopathyHEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH, Issue 4 2003José J. Escarce Background. The specialist's role in caring for managed care patients is likely to grow. Thus, assessing the correlates of patient satisfaction with specialty care is essential. Objective. To examine the association between characteristics of eye care practices and satisfaction with eye care among working age patients with open-angle glaucoma (OAG) or diabetic retinopathy (DR). Subjects/Study Setting. A total of 913 working age patients with OAG or DR enrolled in six commercial managed care health plans. The patients were treated in 144 different eye care practices. Study Design. We used a patient survey to obtain information on patient characteristics and satisfaction with eye care, measured by scores on satisfaction subscales of the 18-item Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire. We used a survey of eye care practices to obtain information on practice characteristics, including provider specialties, practice organization, financial features, and utilization and quality management systems. We estimated logistic regression models to assess the association of patient and practice characteristics with high levels of patient satisfaction. Principal Findings. Treatment in a practice with a glaucoma specialist (for OAG patients) or a retina specialist (for DR patients) was associated with higher satisfaction, whereas treatment in a practice that obtained a high proportion of its revenues from capitation payments or in a group practice where providers obtained a high proportion of their incomes from bonuses was associated with lower satisfaction. Conclusions. Many eye care patients prefer to be treated by specialists with expertise in their conditions. Financial arrangement features of eye care practices also are associated with patient satisfaction with care. The most likely mechanisms underlying these associations are effects on provider behavior and satisfaction, which in turn influence patient satisfaction. Managed care plans and provider groups should aim to minimize the negative impact of managed care features on patient satisfaction. [source] Identifying attitudes, beliefs and reported practices of nurses and doctors as immunization providersJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 7 2010Karen L. Pielak pielak k.l., mcintyre c.c., tu a.w., remple v.p., halperin b. & buxton j.a. (2010) Identifying attitudes, beliefs and reported practices of nurses and doctors as immunization providers. Journal of Advanced Nursing,66(7), 1602,1611. Abstract Title.,Identifying attitudes, beliefs and reported practices of nurses and doctors as immunization providers. Aim., This paper is a report of a study conducted to examine the attitudes, beliefs, behavioural intentions and self-reported behaviour of nurses and physicians relating to key immunization behaviours and compare the findings for nurses and physicians. Background., Immunization is an important and effective public health intervention. Understanding immunization providers' attitudes and beliefs toward immunization has the potential to improve educational efforts and lead to behavioural change. Method., A postal survey was conducted with all immunization providers in British Columbia, Canada, in 2005. The survey elicited data on demographics, practice characteristics, attitudes, perceived social norms and perceived behavioural control related to key immunization behaviours. Results., Responses were received from 344 nurses and 349 physicians. The response rate was 67% for nurses and 22% for physicians. More nurses than physicians thought that administering all recommended vaccines at one visit was important (89·2% vs. 63·2%P < 0·001); nurses felt more pressure from parents to administer all recommended vaccines (82·4% vs. 48·7%P < 0·001), and nurses were also more likely to intend to give all recommended vaccines at one visit (98·8% vs. 73·8%P < 0·001). Both nurses and physicians thought that their own receipt of influenza vaccine each year was important (88·9%, 87·1% respectively P = 0·65). Conclusion., The foundational work done to develop the survey tool can be used to modify it so that survey findings can be validated according to the Theory of Planned Behaviour. The results could inform the development of behavioural change interventions targeting the identified determinants of immunization provider behaviour. [source] Interest in Geriatric Medicine in Canada: How Can We Secure a Next Generation of Geriatricians?JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 3 2006FRCP(C), Laura L. Diachun MEd In Canada, there is minimal training of geriatrics for physicians, a shortage of geriatricians, and extremely low numbers of students entering geriatrics. This study explored student interest in and barriers and enticements to geriatric medicine as a career choice. Medical students attending a university in Ontario, Canada, were surveyed in their first year (N=121), after a geriatric education session, and again in their second year (N=118) about their interest in a career in geriatrics. In the first year, less than 20% of students were interested in geriatrics; in the second year this decreased to 16%. In both years, female students were more interested than male students. Those students interested in geriatrics had higher hopes that their practice would involve primarily adults and seniors. Students not interested in geriatrics rated performing procedures and technical skills, not wanting to work with chronically ill patients, and caring for younger patients as important practice characteristics. Although the importance of prestige was low for all students, it was significantly higher for those not interested in geriatrics. Although changes to prestige, income, lifestyle, and length of residency training were identified as potential enticements to geriatrics, they were not major deterrents to a career in geriatrics. The findings suggest strategies that may affect student interest in geriatrics, such as increased and early student exposure to geriatrics with emphasis on fostering and nurturing student interest, consideration of various enticements to this specialty, and the development of health system,specific solutions to this problem. Knowledge of student and practice characteristics that increase the likelihood of selecting geriatrics as a specialty may allow for early identification and support of future geriatricians. [source] Physician Recognition of Cognitive Impairment: Evaluating the Need for ImprovementJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 7 2004Joshua Chodosh MD Objectives: To assess physician recognition of dementia and cognitive impairment, compare recognition with documentation, and identify physician and patient factors associated with recognition. Design: Survey of physicians and review of medical records. Setting: Health maintenance organization in southern California. Participants: Seven hundred twenty-nine physicians who provided care for women participating in a cohort study of memory (Women's Memory Study). Measurements: Percentage of patients with dementia or cognitive impairment (using the Telephone Interview of Cognitive Status supplemented by the Telephone Dementia Questionnaire) recognized by physicians. Relationship between physician recognition and patient characteristics and physician demographics, practice characteristics, training, knowledge, and attitudes about dementia. Results: Physicians (n=365) correctly identified 81% of patients with dementia and 44% of patients with cognitive impairment without definite dementia. Medical records documented cognitive impairment in 83% of patients with dementia and 26% of patients with cognitive impairment without definite dementia. In a multivariable model, physicians with geriatric credentials (defined as geriatric fellowship experience and/or the certificate of added qualifications) recognized cognitive impairment more often than did those without (risk ratio (RR)=1.56, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.04,1.66). Physicians were more likely to recognize cognitive impairment in patients with a history of depression treatment (RR=1.3, 95% CI=1.03,1.45) or stroke (RR=1.37, 95% CI=1.04,1.45) and less likely to recognize impairment in patients with cognitive impairment without definite dementia than in those with dementia (RR=0.46, 95% CI=0.23,0.72) and in patients with a prior hospitalization for myocardial infarction (RR=0.37, 95% CI=0.09,0.88) or cancer (RR=0.49, 95% CI=0.18,0.90). Conclusion: Medical record documentation reflects physician recognition of dementia, yet physicians are aware of, but have not documented, many patients with milder cognitive impairment. Physicians are unaware of cognitive impairment in more than 40% of their cognitively impaired patients. Additional geriatrics training may promote recognition, but systems solutions are needed to improve recognition critical to provision of emerging therapies for early dementia. [source] Adequacy of Oral Health Information for Patients with DiabetesJOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH DENTISTRY, Issue 2 2009Hon K. Yuen PhD, OTR/L Abstract Objective: We investigated the perception of dental hygienists regarding their adequacy of providing diabetics with diabetes-related oral health preventive education. Methods: A one-page questionnaire printed on both sides was mailed to 2,237 licensed registered dental hygienists with a South Carolina (SC) mailing address. In addition to the dental hygienists' background and practice characteristics, their perception of adequacy for educating patients with diabetes on various diabetes-related oral health topics and reasons for inadequate coverage of materials were queried in the survey. Results: After two follow-up mailings, 995 completed and usable surveys were returned. An average of 93.6 percent of respondents indicated that they adequately covered topics of oral hygiene and general oral health issues. However, about 60 percent of respondents reported not covering all essential materials related to oral health when educating diabetic patients. The three most common reasons were: a) insufficient time (60.1 percent); b) patient disinterest (41.2 percent); and c) insufficient information on oral care and diabetes (39.7 percent). Respondents reporting insufficient information were less likely to adequately address the effect of periodontal disease on diabetes (P < 0.001), effect of uncontrolled diabetes on periodontal disease (P < 0.001), and dry mouth management (P = 0.03). Conclusion: This study indicates that SC dental hygienists do not routinely provide patient education on diabetes-related oral health and healthy lifestyle topics. Lack of time, patient disinterest, and insufficient information were the three main reasons for respondents not covering these essentials. A practical method for improving dental hygienists' comprehensive service to patients with diabetes is to offer them more continuing education on diabetes and oral health to supplement their knowledge, skills, and confidence to educate this growing population. [source] Veterans Affairs Primary Care Clinicians' Attitudes toward Chronic Pain and Correlates of Opioid Prescribing RatesPAIN MEDICINE, Issue 5 2008Steven K. Dobscha MD ABSTRACT Objectives., The primary objective of this study was to identify veterans affairs (VA) primary care clinicians' attitudes regarding chronic pain treatment. A secondary objective was to explore relationships between clinician and practice characteristics and an objective measure of opioid prescribing rates. Design., Cross-sectional study of clinician survey and pharmacy data. Participants., Forty-five VA clinicians from five primary care clinics of one VA medical center. Measures., Survey of pain-related attitudes and behaviors, satisfaction with treatment resources, and job satisfaction; percentage of patients in clinicians' panels prescribed opioids (PCPO). Results., Seventy-one percent of clinicians felt moderately or strongly confident in their ability to treat chronic pain, and 77% moderately or strongly agreed that skilled pain management is a high priority. However, 73% moderately or strongly agreed that patients with chronic pain are a major source of frustration and 38% reported moderate or greater dissatisfaction with their ability to provide optimal pain treatment. Fifty-two percent moderately or strongly agreed that their management is influenced by previous experiences with patients addicted to drugs. The mean PCPO was 16.5% (SD = 6.7). In bivariate comparisons, clinician panel size, job and resource satisfaction, and professional training were associated with opioid prescribing rates. Conclusion., High clinician confidence and interest in treating chronic pain concurrent with low satisfaction with ability to provide optimal treatment suggests a need for more system support. VA primary care clinicians are frequently influenced by fears of contributing to dependence or addiction. The relationships among panel size, job satisfaction, and opioid prescribing rates merit additional investigation. [source] Rural,Urban Differences in Primary Care Physicians' Practice Patterns, Characteristics, and IncomesTHE JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 2 2008William B. Weeks MD ABSTRACT:,Context:Low salaries and difficult work conditions are perceived as a major barrier to the recruitment of primary care physicians to rural settings. Purpose: To examine rural,urban differences in physician work effort, physician characteristics, and practice characteristics, and to determine whether, after adjusting for any observed differences, rural primary care physicians' incomes were lower than those of urban primary care physicians. Methods: Using survey data from actively practicing office-based general practitioners (1,157), family physicians (1,378), general internists (2,811), or pediatricians (1,752) who responded to the American Medical Association's annual survey of physicians between 1992 and 2002, we used linear regression modeling to determine the association between practicing in a rural (nonmetropolitan) or urban (standard metropolitan statistical area) setting and physicians' annual incomes after controlling for specialty, work effort, provider characteristics, and practice characteristics. Findings: Rural primary care physicians' unadjusted annual incomes were similar to their urban counterparts, but they tended to work longer hours, complete more patient visits, and have a much greater proportion of Medicaid patients. After adjusting for work effort, physician characteristics, and practice characteristics, primary care physicians who practiced in rural settings made $9,585 (5%) less than their urban counterparts (95% confidence intervals: ,$14,569, ,$4,602, P < .001). In particular, rural practicing general internists and pediatricians experienced lower incomes than did their urban counterparts. Conclusions: Addressing rural physicians' lower incomes, longer work hours, and greater dependence on Medicaid reimbursement may improve the ability to ensure that an adequate supply of primary care physicians practice in rural settings. [source] Physician's practice patterns for chronic prostatitisANDROLOGIA, Issue 5 2009L. Liu Summary Chronic prostatitis (CP) is one of the most prevalent conditions in urology, yet the most poorly understood. Although there is little controversy regarding the therapy for documented acute bacterial infections, most symptomatic men do not have bacterial prostatitis, for which treatment and management are usually successful. Throughout the past century, the diagnostic entity of CP has been recognised and its clinical characteristics have been well described. However, no hard and fast guidelines have been developed. To date, several surveys of physicians have been undertaken in order to examine their practice characteristics, attitude, diagnostics and treatment modalities applied in patients with CP. These surveys demonstrate that physicians show large deficits in familiarity with and knowledge of CP along with significant uniformity in the medical approach to this condition and confirm the frustration experienced by physicians in the management of this disease. The results of these studies also suggest an important role for continuing education on the diagnosis and treatment of CP. Further study is needed to identify the aetiology and pathogenesis of male chronic pelvic pain and to establish guidelines for its diagnosis and treatment. [source] Academic Emergency Medicine Faculty and Industry RelationshipsACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 9 2008Robert H. Birkhahn MD Abstract Objectives:, The authors surveyed the membership of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) about their associations with industry and predictors of those associations. Methods:, A national Web-based survey inviting faculty from the active member list of SAEM was conducted. Follow-up requests for participation were sent weekly for 3 weeks. Information was collected on respondents' personal and practice characteristics, industry interactions, and personal opinions regarding these interactions. Raw response rates were reported and a logistic regression was used to generate descriptive statistics. Results:, Responses were received from 430 members, representing 14% of the 3,183 active members. Respondents were 83% male and 86% white, with 96% holding an MD degree (24% with an additional postdoctoral degree). Most were at the assistant (37%) or associate (25%) professor rank, with 51% holding at least one leadership position. Most respondents (82%) reported some type of industry interaction, most commonly the acceptance of food or beverages (67%). Respondents at the associate professor rank or higher were more likely to receive payments from industry (51% vs. 22%, odds ratio [OR] = 3.7). Conclusions:, This survey suggests that interactions between industry and academic EM faculty are common and increase with academic rank, but not with years in practice or leadership influence. The number and type of interactions are consistent with those reported by a national sampling of other physician specialties. [source] Influence of private practice setting and physician characteristics on the use of breast cancer adjuvant chemotherapy for elderly women,,CANCER, Issue 17 2009Dawn L. Hershman MD Abstract BACKGROUND: Although >70% of younger women with nonmetastatic breast cancer (BC) received adjuvant chemotherapy, only approximately 15% to 20% of elderly women with BC received chemotherapy. The decision to treat may be associated with nonmedical factors, such as patient, physician, or practice characteristics. In the current study, the association between oncologist characteristics and the receipt of chemotherapy in elderly women with BC was evaluated. METHODS: Women aged >65 years who were diagnosed with American Joint Committee on Cancer stages I to III BC between 1991 and 2002 were identified in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare database. The Physician Unique Identification Number was linked to the American Medical Association Masterfile to obtain information on oncologists. Investigated was the association between demographic, tumor, and oncologist-related factors and the receipt of chemotherapy, using Generalized Estimating Equations to control for clustering. Patients were defined as low risk (estrogen/progesterone receptor positive, stage I/II disease) and high risk (estrogen/progesterone receptor-negative, stage II/III disease). RESULTS: Of 42,544 women identified, 8714 (20%) were treated with adjuvant chemotherapy. In a hierarchical analysis, women who underwent chemotherapy were more likely be treated by oncologists primarily employed in a private practice (odds ratio [OR], 1.40; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.23-1.59) and who graduated after 1975 (OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.01-1.26) and were less likely to have an oncologist trained in the United States (OR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.74-0.93). The association between a private practice setting and the receipt of chemotherapy was found to be similar for patients at high risk (OR, 1.55) and low risk (OR, 1.35) for cancer recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Elderly women with BC treated by oncologists who were employed in a private practice were more likely to receive chemotherapy. Efforts to determine whether these associations reflected experience, practice setting, insurance type, or other economic incentives are warranted. Cancer 2009. Published 2009 by the American Cancer Society. [source] Professional and economic factors affecting access to mammography: A crisis today, or tomorrow?,CANCER, Issue 3 2005Results from a national survey Abstract BACKGROUND Objective data and anecdotal reports have suggested that access to mammography may be declining because of facility closures and difficulty in recruiting and retaining radiologists and radiologic technologists. To gain insight into the practice patterns, use of emerging technologies, and concerns of breast imagers in current practice, the Society of Breast Imaging (SBI) conducted a national survey of breast imaging practices in the U.S. METHODS Between October 2003 and April 2004, the SBI conducted a survey of the SBI membership database, and received completed surveys from 575 breast imaging practices in the U.S. Responses to the survey regarding practice characteristics, the utilization of standard and emerging technologies, staffing, malpractice, finance, and morale were analyzed. RESULTS Job vacancies for radiologists who read mammograms were reported in 163 practices (29%), 59 of which (10%) had 2 or more openings. A higher proportion of practices with job openings had long appointment waiting times for asymptomatic women when compared with fully staffed practices. Unfilled fellowship positions also were common, with 41 of 65 practices that offer fellowships reporting 47 openings. Among 554 responding practices, 55% reported that someone in their practice was sued because of a mammography related case within the past 5 years, and 50% of practices reported that the threat of lawsuits made radiologist staffing "moderately" or "a lot" more difficult. Of 521 responding practices, 35% reported financial losses in 2002. One in 5 respondents reported that they would prefer to spend less time in mammography, and fewer than 1 in 3 would recommend a breast imaging fellowship to a relative or friend. Emerging technologies, such as breast magnetic resonance imaging and screening ultrasound, currently are being performed in many practices. CONCLUSIONS The survey results provide support for anecdotal reports that breast imaging practices face significant challenges and stresses, including shortages of key personnel, a lack of trainees, malpractice concerns, financial constraints, increased workload due to emerging technologies, low appeal of breast imaging as a career specialty, and the steady rise in the population of women of screening age. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society. [source] Differences in the Annual Incomes of Emergency Physicians Related to GenderACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 5 2007William B. Weeks MD ObjectivesTo examine the association between physician gender and income for emergency physicians (EPs) after correcting for factors likely to influence income. MethodsThe authors used survey responses collected during the 1990s from 392 actively practicing white EPs. Linear regression modeling was used to determine the association between provider gender and annual income after controlling for workload, provider characteristics, and practice characteristics. ResultsWhite female EPs reported seeing 7% fewer visits but worked 3% more annual hours than their white male counterparts. White female EPs had practiced medicine for fewer years than white male EPs, although the distribution of respondents across categories of years practicing medicine was not dramatically different. Female EPs were more likely to be employees, as opposed to having an ownership interest in the practice. Female EPs were less likely than their male counterparts to be board certified. After adjustment for work effort, provider characteristics, and practice characteristics, the mean annual income of white female EPs was 193,570, or 47,854 (20%) lower than that for white male EPs (95% confidence interval =,82,710 to ,12,997; p = 0.007). ConclusionsDuring the 1990s, female gender was associated with lower annual income among EPs. These findings warrant further exploration to determine what factors might cause the gender-based differences in income that were found. [source] |