Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
For First Time, Majority Of Physicians Don't Own Their Practice
Modern Healthcare: For The First Time Ever, Less Than Half Of Physicians Are Independent
Less than half of practicing physicians in the U.S. owned their medical practice in 2016, marking the first time that the majority of physicians are not practice owners, according to a new study. Only 47.1% of physicians in 2016 had ownership stakes in a medical practice, an American Medical Association study released Wednesday found. That's down from 53.2% in 2012, and research shows that doctors, especially young doctors, have been shifting from owning their own practice to joining larger practices. (Kacik, 5/31)
In other health care personnel news —
Stateline: Why Universities Charge Extra For Engineering, Business And Nursing Degrees
Sixty percent of public research universities now assess tuition based on students’ year of study, major, or both, according to an upcoming study led by Gregory Wolniak, a research director at New York University. ... A survey conducted by Cornell researchers in 2011 found that universities most often charge more for business, engineering and nursing programs. (Quinton, 6/1)
ProPublica: Doctor’s Records In U.S. Doping Investigation Don’t Match Patients’ Copies
A recently leaked draft report details how USADA, with written permission, obtained copies of athletes’ medical records from Brown. But the report notes that some records, particularly those of 2008 Olympic marathoner Dathan Ritzenhein, appear to have been altered. In an interview with the BBC and ProPublica this week, Magness said that at least one of the records Brown gave to USADA regarding Magness’ own treatments also appears to have been altered and doesn’t match the copy he has from the visit. (Epstein and Daly, 5/30)
