Primary care physicians are leaving fee-for-service Medicare programs faster than specialists, according to a recent study.
The study, published July 18 in JAMA Health Forum, analyzed Medicare Part B claims filed between 2010 and 2024 for services provided by physicians. Researchers excluded physicians who averaged fewer than 100 Medicare claims annually.
Here are four things to know:
1. An estimated 4.4% of primary care physicians enrolled in Medicare left the program in 2023, up from 3.3% in 2014.
2. The share of physicians in surgical specialties who exited Medicare rose from 2.3% to 3% over the same period.
3. Exits from hospital-based specialties held steady at 3.5%, and medical specialties exits remained at 2.5%.
4. The reasons for higher exits among primary care physicians could be the greater burden of new communication methods — such as online messaging — and demands for clinical documentation, the study authors told Medscape. The shift could also reflect more physicians caring primarily for patients enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans.
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