scholarly journals A Census of Actively Licensed Physicians in the United States, 2016

2017 ◽  
Vol 103 (2) ◽  
pp. 7-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Young ◽  
Humayun J. Chaudhry ◽  
Xiaomei Pei ◽  
Katie Arnhart ◽  
Michael Dugan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Workforce Planning ◽  
The United States ◽  
Medical Specialties ◽  
Medical Graduates ◽  
Regulatory Policies ◽  
Population Ratio ◽  
State Medical Boards ◽  
Osteopathic Physicians

An accurate understanding of the demographic and state medical licensure characteristics of physicians in the United States is critical for health care workforce planning. Overall changes in the nation's population demographics, state and federal medical regulatory policies and dynamics surrounding the ongoing health care reform debate further highlight the need to have an up-to-date census of actively licensed physicians across all medical specialties. This article uses data received by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) from the nation's state medical and osteopathic licensing boards to report and summarize key features of actively licensed physicians in the United States and the District of Columbia. Our biennial census, current through the end of 2016, identifies a total of 953,695 actively licensed allopathic and osteopathic physicians serving a national population of 323 million people. This represents a net physician-increase of 12% from the 2010 census. From 2010 to 2016, the actively licensed U.S. physician-to-population ratio increased from 277 physicians per 100,000-population to 295 physicians per 100,000-population. Females now make up one-third of all licensed physicians, with osteopathic physicians and Caribbean medical graduates continuing to demonstrate substantial increases in both their absolute numbers and as a percentage of all actively licensed physicians from the 2010 to 2016 time period.

scholarly journals FSMB Census of Licensed Physicians in the United States, 2018

2019 ◽  
Vol 105 (2) ◽  
pp. 7-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Young ◽  
Humayun J. Chaudhry ◽  
Xiaomei Pei ◽  
Katie Arnhart ◽  
Michael Dugan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Medical School ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Medical Schools ◽  
The United States ◽  
Geographic Region ◽  
Physician Workforce ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
State Medical Boards

ABSTRACT There are 985,026 physicians with Doctor of Medicine (MD) and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degrees licensed to practice medicine in the United States and the District of Columbia, according to physician census data compiled by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB). These qualified physicians graduated from 2,089 medical schools in 167 countries and are available to serve a U.S. national population of 327,167,434. While the percentage of physicians who are international medical graduates have remained relatively stable over the last eight years, the percentage of physicians who are women, possess a DO degree, have three or more licenses, or are graduates of a medical school in the Caribbean have increased by varying degrees during that same period. This report marks the fifth biennial physician census that the FSMB has published, highlighting key characteristics of the nation's available physician workforce, including numbers of licensees by geographic region and state, type of medical degree, location of medical school, age, gender, specialty certification and number of active licenses per physician. The number of licensed physicians in the United States has been growing steadily, due in part to an expansion in the number of medical schools and students during the past two decades, even as concerns of a physician shortage to meet health care demands persist. The average age of licensed physicians continues to increase, and more licensed physicians appear to be specialty certified, though the latter finding may reflect more comprehensive reporting. This census was compiled using the FSMB's Physician Data Center (PDC), which collects, collates and analyzes physician data directly from the nation's state medical and osteopathic boards and is uniquely positioned to provide a comprehensive snapshot of information about licensed physicians. A periodic national census of this type offers useful demographic and licensure information about the available physician workforce that may be useful to policy makers, researchers and related health care organizations to better understand and address the nation's health care needs.

scholarly journals FSMB Census of Licensed Physicians in the United States, 2020

2021 ◽  
Vol 107 (2) ◽  
pp. 57-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Young ◽  
Humayun J. Chaudhry ◽  
Xiaomei Pei ◽  
Katie Arnhart ◽  
Michael Dugan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Care ◽  
District Of Columbia ◽  
The United States ◽  
Physician Workforce ◽  
Quality Health Care ◽  
National Public Health ◽  
Specialty Board ◽  
State Medical Boards ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT There are 1,018,776 licensed physicians in the United States and the District of Columbia, representing a physician workforce that is 20% larger than it was a decade ago, according to data from 2020 compiled by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB). The licensed physician population has grown in number relative to the total population, but concerns about a doctor shortage remain as both the general and physician populations age. Late career physicians generally work fewer hours and retire at higher rates, while younger physicians place more emphasis on work-life balance that may also limit work hours, even as many older physicians have delayed retirement in recent years. The mean age of licensed physicians is now 51.7 years, a year higher than it was in 2010. The physician workforce is increasingly mixed in gender and type of physician, with more women and more individuals with Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degrees, specialty board certification and international medical degrees than a decade ago. The ability to inventory a nation’s health care workforce across all specialties and jurisdictions is essential to the delivery of quality health care where it is needed most. This paper marks the FSMB’s sixth biennial census of licensed physicians in the United States and the District of Columbia and provides valuable information about the nation’s available physician workforce, including information about medical degree type, location of undergraduate medical education, specialty certification, number of active licenses, age and sex. As the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the United States is not yet fully known, this report should help state medical boards as they consider changes to their statutes and regulations to facilitate telemedicine and licensure portability after the pandemic ends and before another national public health emergency.

scholarly journals Testing and evaluation: the present and future of the assessment of medical professionals

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 149-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven A. Haist ◽  
Agata P. Butler ◽  
Miguel A. Paniagua
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Clinical Skills ◽  
Medical Schools ◽  
The United States ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
National Board ◽  
Liaison Committee ◽  
Medical Graduates ◽  
Primary Driver ◽  
State Medical Boards

The aim of this review is to highlight recent and potential future enhancements to the United States Licensing Examination (USMLE) program. The USMLE program is co-owned by the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) and the Federation of State Medical Boards. The USMLE includes four examinations: Step 1, Step 2 Clinical Knowledge, Step 2 Clinical Skills, and Step 3; every graduate of Liaison Committee on Medical Education-accredited allopathic medical schools and all international medical graduates must pass this examination series to practice medicine in the United States. From 2006 to 2009, the program underwent an indepth review resulting in five accepted recommendations. These recommendations have been the primary driver for many of the recent enhancements, such as an increased emphasis on foundational science and changes in the clinical skills examination, including more advanced communication skills assessment. These recommendations will continue to inform future changes such as access to references (e.g., a map of metabolic pathways) or decision-making tools for use during the examination. The NBME also provides assessment services globally to medical schools, students, residency programs, and residents. In 2015, >550,000 assessments were provided through the subject examination program, NBME self-assessment services, and customized assessment services.

scholarly journals A Census of Actively Licensed Physicians in the United States, 2012

2013 ◽  
Vol 99 (2) ◽  
pp. 11-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Young ◽  
Humayun J. Chaudhry ◽  
Jon V. Thomas ◽  
Michael Dugan
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Care ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Care Market ◽  
Health Care Demand ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Market Participants ◽  
Patient Protection ◽  
State Medical Boards ◽  
Demand For Health

ABSTRACTThe Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, signed into law in 2010 and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court last year, is expected to provide health care coverage to as many as 32 million Americans by 2019. As demand for health care expands, the need for accurate data about the current and future physician workforce will remain paramount. This census of actively licensed physicians in the United States and the District of Columbia represents data received from state medical boards in 2012 by the Federation of State Medical Boards. It demonstrates that the total population of licensed physicians (878,194) has expanded by 3% since 2010, is slightly older, has more women, and includes a substantive increase in physicians who graduated from a medical school in the Caribbean. As state medical boards begin to collect a Minimum Data Set about practicing physicians and their practice patterns in the years ahead, this information will inform decisions by policymakers, regulators and health care market participants to better align health care demand with supply.

Health Outcomes and Health Care Utilization Among Obstetric Deliveries With Concurrent CKD in the United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 148-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea L. Oliverio ◽  
Lindsay K. Admon ◽  
Laura H. Mariani ◽  
Tyler N.A. Winkelman ◽  
Vanessa K. Dalton
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Utilization ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
The United States ◽  
Care Utilization

The Special Perils of Being Old and Sick in Prison

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 276-284
Author(s):  
William J. Jefferson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Medical Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
The United States ◽  
United States Constitution ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Medical Practitioners ◽  
Medical Needs ◽  
Access To Medical Care

The United States Supreme Court declared in 1976 that deliberate indifference to the serious medical needs of prisoners constitutes the unnecessary and wanton infliction of pain…proscribed by the Eighth Amendment. It matters not whether the indifference is manifested by prison doctors in their response to the prisoner’s needs or by prison guards intentionally denying or delaying access to medical care or intentionally interfering with treatment once prescribed—adequate prisoner medical care is required by the United States Constitution. My incarceration for four years at the Oakdale Satellite Prison Camp, a chronic health care level camp, gives me the perspective to challenge the generally promoted claim of the Bureau of Federal Prisons that it provides decent medical care by competent and caring medical practitioners to chronically unhealthy elderly prisoners. The same observation, to a slightly lesser extent, could be made with respect to deficiencies in the delivery of health care to prisoners of all ages, as it is all significantly deficient in access, competencies, courtesies and treatments extended by prison health care providers at every level of care, without regard to age. However, the frailer the prisoner, the more dangerous these health care deficiencies are to his health and, therefore, I believe, warrant separate attention. This paper uses first-hand experiences of elderly prisoners to dismantle the tale that prisoner healthcare meets constitutional standards.

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