government
Relatively few D.C. doctors actively practice there
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Oct. 10, 2011
Although nearly 9,000 physicians are licensed to practice in the District of Columbia, far fewer actively practice in the district, according to the 2010 District of Columbia Board of Medicine Physician and Physician Assistant Workforce Survey.
The survey, released Sept. 28, was offered to physicians and physician assistants who were renewing their licenses in D.C. between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, 2010. Nearly 7,000 renewing physicians responded to the survey, of whom 2,821 said they were practicing in the district more than 20 hours per week. An additional 273 doctors did not specify their clinical hours but said they practice in the city.
The work force survey is an attempt by the D.C. Board of Medicine to prepare for the health system reform law's expansion of coverage to about 32 million people, slated to begin in 2014. The survey also found that physicians in D.C. tend to cluster around hospitals and that nearly 40% of the respondents have patient panels that are at least a quarter Medicaid. More than three-quarters of respondents plan to continue practicing for at least the next two years.
The report is available online (link).
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/10/10/gvbf1010.htm.
