Setting the Target: Comparing Family Medicine Among US Allopathic Target Schools.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Despite the persistent primary care physician shortage over 2 decades of allopathic medical school expansion, some medical schools are absent a department of family medicine; these schools are designated as "target" schools. These absences are important because evidence has demonstrated the association between structured exposure to family medicine during medical school and the proportion of students who ultimately select a career in family medicine. In this study, we aimed to address part of this gap by defining and characterizing the current landscape of US allopathic target schools. METHODS: We identified allopathic target schools by reviewing all Liaison Committee of Medical Education (LCME) accredited institutions for the presence of a family medicine department. To compare these schools in terms of family medicine representation and outcomes, we curated descriptive data from publicly available websites, previously published family medicine match results, and school rankings for primary care. RESULTS: We identified 12 target schools (8.7% of all US allopathic accredited medical schools) with considerable heterogeneity in opportunities for family medicine engagement, leadership, and training. Target schools with greater family medicine representation had increased outcomes for family medicine workforce and primary care opportunities. CONCLUSION: With growing primary care workforce gaps, target schools have a responsibility to enhance family medicine presence and representation at their institutions. We provide recommendations at the institutional, specialty, and national level to increase family medicine representation at target schools, with the goal that all schools eventually establish a department of family medicine.

Physician-Level Continuity of Care and Patient Outcomes in All-Payer Claims Database.

INTRODUCTION: Being one of the few existing measures of primary care functions, physician-level continuity of care (Phy-CoC) is measured by the weighted average of patient continuity scores. Compared with the well-researched patient-level continuity, Phy-CoC is a new instrument with limited evidence from Medicare beneficiaries. This study aimed to expand the patient sample to include patients of all ages and all types of insurance and reassess the associations between full panel-based Phy-CoC scores and patient outcomes. METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis at patient-level using Virginia All-Payer Claims Database (VA-APCD). Phy-CoC scores were calculated by averaging patient's Bice-Boxerman Index scores and weighted by the total number of visits. Patient outcomes included total cost and preventable hospitalization. RESULTS: In a sample of 1.6 million Virginians, patients who lived in rural areas or had Medicare as primary insurance were more likely to be attributed to physicians with the highest Phy-CoC scores. Across all adult patient populations, we found that being attributed to physicians with higher Phy-CoC was associated with 7%-11.8% higher total costs, but was not associated with the odds of preventable hospitalization. Results from models with interactions revealed nuanced associations between Phy-CoC and total cost with patient's age and comorbidity, insurance payer, and the specialty of their physician. CONCLUSIONS: In this comprehensive examination of Phy-CoC using all populations from the VA-APCD, we found an overall positive association of higher full panel-based Phy-CoC with total cost, but a non-significant association with the risk of preventable hospitalization. Achieving higher full panel-based Phy-CoC may have unintended cost implications.

Prevalence and Predictors of Burnout Among Resident Family Physicians.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Resident burnout may affect career choices and empathy. We examined predictors of burnout among family medicine residents. METHODS: We used data from the 2019-2021 American Board of Family Medicine Initial Certification Questionnaire, which is required of graduating residents. Burnout was a binary variable defined as reporting callousness or emotional exhaustion once a week or more. We evaluated associations using bivariate and multilevel multivariable regression analyses. RESULTS: Among 11,570 residents, 36.4% (n=4,211) reported burnout. This prevalence did not significantly vary from 2019 to 2021 and was not significantly attributable to the residency program (ICC=0.07). Residents identifying as female reported higher rates of burnout (39.0% vs 33.4%, AOR=1.29 [95% CI 1.19-1.40]). Residents reporting Asian race (30.5%, AOR=0.78 [95% CI 0.70-0.86]) and Black race (32.3%, AOR=0.71 [95% CI 0.60-0.86]) reported lower odds of burnout than residents reporting White race (39.2%). We observed lower rates among international medical graduates (26.7% vs 40.3%, AOR=0.54 [95% CI 0.48-0.60]), those planning to provide outpatient continuity care (36.0% vs 38.7%, AOR=0.77 [95% CI 0.68-0.86]), and those at smaller programs (31.7% for <6 residents per class vs 36.3% for 6-10 per class vs 40.2% for >10 per class). Educational debt greater than $250,000 was associated with higher odds of burnout than no debt (AOR=1.29 [95% CI 1.15-1.45]). CONCLUSIONS: More than one-third of recent family medicine residents reported burnout. Odds of burnout varied significantly with resident and program characteristics.

Variation in Practice Patterns of Early- and Later-Career Family Physicians.

INTRODUCTION: Understanding how physicians' practice patterns change over a career is important for workforce and medical education planning. This study examined trends in self-reported practice activity among early- and later-career stage family physicians (FPs). METHODS: Data on early career FPs came from the American Board of Family Medicine's National Graduate Survey (NGS) and on later career FPs from its Continuous Certification Questionnaire (CCQ). Both cohorts could complete the Practice Demographic Survey (PDS) 3 years later. Longitudinal cohorts were from 2016 to 2019 and 2017 to 2020, respectively. All surveys included identical items on scope of practice, practice type, organization, and location. We characterized physicians as outpatient continuity only, outpatient and inpatient care (mixed practice), and no outpatient continuity (for example, hospitalist). We conducted repeated cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of practice type. RESULTS: Our sample included 8,492 NGS and 30,491 CCQ FPs. In both groups, the vast majority provided outpatient continuity of care (77% to 81%). Approximately 25% of NGS had a mixed practice compared with approximately 16% of the CCQ group. The percent of FPs who had a mixed practice declined in both groups (34.21% to 27.10% and 23.88% to 19.33%). In both groups, physicians with higher odds of leaving mixed practice were in metropolitan counties or changed practice types. CONCLUSION: Although early-career FPs more frequently reported providing both inpatient and outpatient care and serving as hospitalists compared with later-career FPs, both groups had a decline in frequency of providing mixed practice. This change after only 3 years in practice has significant implications for patient care and medical education.

COVID-19 Vaccine Strategy Left Small Primary Care Practices On The Sidelines.

We report on the experience of small primary care practices participating in a national clinical registry with COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination data. At the end of 2021, 11.2 percent of these practices' 3.9 million patients had records of COVID-19 vaccination; 43.1 percent of clinics had no record of patients' COVID-19 vaccinations, but 93.4 percent of clinics had provided or recorded other routine vaccinations.

Impact of Service-Based Student Loan Repayment Program on the Primary Care Workforce.

PURPOSE: As the average level of medical education indebtedness rises, physicians look to programs such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and National Health Service Corps (NHSC) to manage debt burden. Both represent service-dependent loan repayment programs, but the requirements and program outcomes diverge, and assessing the relative uptake of each program may help to inform health workforce policy decisions. We sought to describe variation in the composition of repayment program participant groups and measure relative impact on patient access to care. METHODS: In this bivariate analysis, we analyzed data from 10,677 respondents to the American Board of Family Medicine's National Graduate Survey to study differences in loan repayment program uptake as well as the unique participant demographics, scope of practice, and likelihood of practicing with a medically underserved or rural population in each program cohort. RESULTS: The rate of PSLF uptake tripled between 2016 and 2020, from 7% to 22% of early career family physicians, while NHSC uptake remained static at 4% to 5%. Family physicians reporting NHSC assistance were more likely than those reporting PSLF assistance to come from underrepresented groups, demonstrated a broader scope of practice, and were more likely to practice in rural areas (23.3% vs 10.8%) or whole-county Health Professional Shortage Areas (12.5% vs 3.7%) and with medically underserved populations (82.2% vs 24.2%). CONCLUSIONS: Although PSLF supports family physicians intending to work in public service, their peers who choose NHSC are much more likely to work in underserved settings. Our findings may prompt a review of the goals of service loan forgiveness programs with potential to better serve health workforce needs.

Maternity Access in Rural America: The Role of Family Physicians in Providing Access to Cesarean Sections.

INTRODUCTION: As an increasing number of rural hospitals close their maternity care units, many of the approximately 28 million reproductive-age women living in rural America do not have local access to obstetric services. We sought to describe the characteristics and distribution of cesarean section-providing family physicians who may provide critical services in maintaining obstetric access in rural hospitals. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional study design, we linked data from the 2017 to 2022 American Board of Family Medicine's Continuting Certification Questionnaire on provision of cesarean sections as primary surgeon and practice characteristics to geographic data. Logistic regression determined associations with provision of cesarean sections. RESULTS: Of 28,526 family physicians, 589 (2.1%) provided cesarean sections as primary surgeon. Those who provided cesarean sections were more likely to be male (odds ratio (OR) = 1.573, 95% confidence limits (CL) 1.246-1.986), and work in rural health clinics (OR = 2.157, CL 1.397-3.330), small rural counties (OR = 4.038, CL 1.887-8.642), and in counties without obstetrician/gynecologists (OR = 2.163, CL 1.440-3.250). DISCUSSION: Although few in number, family physicians who provide cesarean sections as primary surgeon disproportionately serve rural communities and counties without obstetrician/gynecologists, suggesting that they provide access to obstetric services in these communities. Policies that support family physician training in cesarean sections and facilitate credentialing of trained family physicians could reverse the trend of closing obstetric units in rural communities and reduce disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes.

How Do Family Physicians Document Patients' Social Needs in Electronic Health Records?

Social needs are critical determinants of patient health, but their capture in clinical records began recently. A representative survey of family physicians showed that 61% of respondents document social needs using notes, with fewer using diagnosis codes or electronic forms. This preference for unstructured documentation may make it difficult to connect patients across organizations or for policymakers and planners to identify geographic variation in needs.

Interoperability among hospitals treating populations that have been marginalized.

OBJECTIVE: To test whether differences in hospital interoperability are related to the extent to which hospitals treat groups that have been economically and socially marginalized. DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SETTING: Data on 2393 non-federal acute care hospitals in the United States from the American Hospital Association Information Technology Supplement fielded in 2021, the 2019 Medicare Cost Report, and the 2019 Social Deprivation Index. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS: We identified five proxy measures related to marginalization and assessed the relationship between those measures and the likelihood that hospitals engaged in all four domains of interoperable information exchange and participated in national interoperability networks in cross-sectional analysis. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In unadjusted analysis, hospitals that treated patients from zip codes with high social deprivation were 33% less likely to engage in interoperable exchange (Relative Risk = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.58-0.76) and 24% less likely to participate in a national network than all other hospitals (RR = 0.76; 95% CI: 0.66-0.87). Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) were 24 percent less likely to engage in interoperable exchange (RR = 0.76; 95% CI: 0.69-0.83) but not less likely to participate in a national network (RR = 0.97; 95% CI: 0.88-1.06). No difference was detected for 2 measures (high Disproportionate Share Hospital percentage and Medicaid case mix) while 1 was associated with a greater likelihood to engage (high uncompensated care burden). The association between social deprivation and interoperable exchange persisted in an analysis examining metropolitan and rural areas separately and in adjusted analyses accounting for hospital characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Hospitals that treat patients from areas with high social deprivation were less likely to engage in interoperable exchange than other hospitals, but other measures were not associated with lower interoperability. The use of area deprivation data may be important to monitor and address hospital clinical data interoperability disparities to avoid related health care disparities.

Racial/Ethnic Minority Identifying Family Physicians Are More Likely to Work in Solo Practices.

While the overall proportion of family physicians who work in solo practices has been steadily declining, Black, Hispanic/Latino, and Asian family physicians are more likely to work in these settings. Given their association with high levels of continuity and improved health outcomes, and given patient preference for racial concordance with their physicians, policy makers and payors should consider how to support family physicians in solo practice in the interest of promoting access to and quality of care for ethnic/racial minorities.

Evaluating the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Model at 10 Years: Practice-Based Outcomes and Opportunities.

Background: Since 2011, the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THC GME) program has sought to expand access to care by training residents in safety net settings. Objective: To examine impact on physician scope, location, and patient population served using a unique data set. Methods: Using 2017-2020 data from the American Board of Family Medicine National Graduate Survey, we compared demographics, practice location, populations served, and scope of practice between graduates of THC GME programs and graduates of other family medicine programs. Results: Our sample comprised 8608 (out of 13 465) eligible family medicine graduates 3 years after completion of residency training, for a response rate of 63.9%. THC graduates were significantly more likely than other graduates to practice in a rural location (17.9% to 11.8%), within 5 miles of their residency program (18.9% to 12.9%), and to care for medically underserved populations (35.2% to 18.6%). Their scope of practice was wider than other graduates and more likely to comprise services like buprenorphine prescribing, behavioral health care, and outpatient gynecological procedures. Regression results suggest that THC training is independently correlated with a broader scope of practice. Conclusions: Graduates of THC programs were significantly more likely than graduates of other programs to practice close to their training sites and in rural areas, and to care for underserved patients while maintaining a broader scope of practice than other graduates.

Measuring Graduate Medical Education Outcomes to Honor the Social Contract.

The graduate medical education (GME) system is heavily subsidized by the public in return for producing physicians who meet society's needs. Under the terms of this implicit social contract, decisions about how this funding is allocated are deferred to the individual training sites. Institutions receiving public funding face potential conflicts of interest, which have at times prioritized institutional purposes and needs over societal needs, highlighting that there is little public accountability for how such funding is used. The cost and institutional burden of assessing many fundamental GME outcomes, such as specialty, geographic physician distribution, training-imprinted cost behaviors, and populations served, could be mitigated as data sources and methods for assessing GME outcomes and guiding training improvement already exist. This new capacity to assess system-level outcomes could help institutions and policymakers strategically address the greatest public needs. Measurement of educational outcomes can also be used to guide training improvement at every level of the educational system (i.e., the individual trainee, individual teaching institution, and collective GME system levels). There are good examples of institutions, states, and training consortia that are already assessing and using GME outcomes in these ways. The ultimate outcome could be a GME system that better meets the needs of society and better honors what is now only an implicit social contract.

One-Third of Family Physicians Remain in Independently Owned Practice, 2017-2019.

The rise of health system and hospital ownership of primary care practices raises policy questions about the survival of independent physician-owned practices. Our data indicate that a substantial proportion of FPs in 2017-2019 remained in independently owned practice: 81% of solo practitioners and 35% of FPs in practices with 2-5 clinicians. These findings suggest that independent practice is surviving, and that it's incumbent on researchers, payers, and policymakers to better understand their unique contributions and challenges in the effort to improve primary care access, quality, and cost.

Practice Patterns of Family Physicians With and Without Addiction Medicine Board Certification.

BACKGROUND: The American Board of Medical Specialties recognized addiction medicine (ADM) as a subspecialty in 2016, which was timely given the recent rise in substance use disorder (SUD). The impact of this dual board opportunity on Family Medicine has not been described. Our study enumerates and characterizes physicians dually certified in Family Medicine and ADM. METHODS: We linked American Board of Medical Specialties data from March 2020 on physicians dually boarded in Family Medicine and ADM to responses on demographic and scope of practice questions in the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) National Graduate Survey and Family Medicine Certification Examination Registration Questionnaire. RESULTS: Of current ABFM Diplomates, 0.53% (492/93,269) are also boarded in ADM. Based on survey responses from a subset of dually certified physicians, those who are dually certified are more likely to practice in federally qualified health centers and to hold a faculty position. Dually certified physicians are more likely to provide HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C management and are as likely as non-dually certified physicians to provide newborn care, obstetric deliveries, inpatient adult medicine care, and intensive care. DISCUSSION: While only a small proportion of family physicians carry dual ADM board certification, those that do disproportionately serve vulnerable populations while retaining broad scope of care. Further work is needed to examine whether SUD treatment access could be addressed by implementing models that support dually certified physicians in consultative and educational efforts that would amplify their impact across the primary care workforce.

Debt of Family Medicine Residents Continues to Grow.

The proportion of family medicine residents with ≥$250,000 in self-reported educational debt rose from 26% in 2014% to 47% in 2019. Such a rapid rise in high indebtedness is concerning, given known associations with resident distress. Previous research has also shown that highly indebted residents are less likely to choose academics, geriatrics, and service-oriented career paths.

Academic Achievement, Professionalism, and Burnout in Family Medicine Residents.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Physician burnout has been shown to have roots in training environments. Whether burnout in residency is associated with the attainment of critical educational milestones has not been studied, and is the subject of this investigation. METHODS: We used data from a cohort of graduating family medicine residents registering for the 2019 American Board of Family Medicine initial certification examination with complete data from registration questionnaire, milestone data, in-training examination (ITE) scores, and residency characteristics. We used bivariate and multilevel multivariate analyses to measure the associations between four professionalism milestones ratings and ITE performance with burnout. RESULTS: Our sample included 2,509 residents; 36.8% met the criteria for burnout. Multilevel regression modeling showed a correlation between burnout and failure to meet only one of four professionalism milestones, specifically professional conduct and accountability (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.07-1.87), while no statistically significant relationship was demonstrated between burnout and being in the lowest quartile of ITE scores. Other factors negatively associated with burnout included international medical education (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.48-0.76) and higher salary compared to cost of housing (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.46-0.82). CONCLUSIONS: We found significant association between self-reported burnout and failing to meet expectations for professional conduct and accountability, but no relationship between burnout and medical knowledge as measured by lower ITE performance. Further investigation of how this impacts downstream conduct and accountability behaviors is needed, but educators can use this information to examine program-level interventions that can specifically address burnout and development of physician professionalism.

How Comprehensive Medication Management Contributes to Foundational Elements of Primary Care.

Pharmacists are more often being recognized as a critical component of the primary care team. Previous literature has not clearly made the connection to how pharmacists and comprehensive medication management (CMM) contribute to recognized foundational elements of primary care. In this reflection, we examine how the delivery of CMM both supports and aligns with Starfield's 4 Cs of Primary Care. We illustrate how the delivery of CMM supports first contact through increased provider access, continuity through empanelment, comprehensiveness by addressing unmet medication needs, and coordination through collaborating with the primary care team and broader team. The provision of CMM addresses critical unmet medication-related needs in primary care and is aligned with the foundational elements of primary care.