Characteristics of Primary Care Physicians and Their Practices Included in the Three Waves of the Community Tracking Survey
| Characteristic | 1996–1997 (n = 7197) | 1998–1999 (n = 7264) | 2000–2001 (n = 7673) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician Characteristics (%) | |||
| Gender (female) | 25 | 29 | 32 |
| Race (white) | — | 77 | 76 |
| Specialty | |||
| Internal medicine | 33 | 33 | 33 |
| Family medicine | 44 | 42 | 43 |
| Pediatrics | 23 | 24 | 24 |
| Began practice (after 1975) | 73 | 79 | 84 |
| Salaried | 53 | 55 | 53 |
| Practice environment | |||
| Number of practices (% one practice) | 92 | 92 | 92 |
| Weeks practicing in 1995 (mean ± SD) | 47.8 ± 2.7 | 47.8 ± 2.6 | 47.7 ± 2.7 |
| Hours per week in direct patient care (mean ± SD) | 42.7 ± 12.9 | 42.2 ± 12.9 | 44.3 ± 13.1 |
| Type of practice (% solo practice) | 25 | 22 | 22 |
| Number of physicians at practice (mean ± SD) | 26.2 ± 54.6 | 26.2 ± 54.2 | — |
| Number of assistants (mean ± SD) | 3.2 ± 5.8 | 3.2 ± 5.8 | — |
| Reimbursement | |||
| % Medicaid (mean ± SD) | 15.0 ± 18.4 | 15.5 ± 18.5 | 15.8 ± 18.6 |
| % Medicare (mean ± SD) | 27.7 ± 23.0 | 27.4 ± 22.9 | 27.9 ± 22.9 |
| % Managed Care (mean ± SD) | 47.5 ± 28.2 | 51.0 ± 27.8 | 49.4 ± 27.8 |
| Cares for both adults and children (%) | 40 | 39 | — |
| Complexity of expected care (% greater than it should be) | 24.5 | 24.8 | 27.0 |
| Perceived autonomy (% having freedom) | 85.8 | 83.5 | 86.2 |
| Career satisfaction (% satisfied with career) | 80.7 | 80.0 | 79.7 |