New Office Visits See Drop in MedAxiom's 2011 Annual Survey

Tuesday, July 24, 2012 | Pat White

Doctors and practices reporting to the 2011 MedAxiom annual survey said the number of new patients and consultations (outpatient only) per cardiologist were flat in 2011 (308 v. 305 in 2010). The survey found that integrated practices, however, continued to see a drop in the number of new patients, down by more than 13 percent from two years ago (290 v. 330 in 2009). This was expected to drop but not at such a significant level, we are studying this to try and determine possible reasons behind the reduction. Likewise, the survey also found that the number of total new patients (outpatient and inpatient) per doctor dropped slightly in 2011 from the previous year (602 v. 596).  Doctors in privately held practices continued to see slightly more patients than their counterparts in integrated practices (598 v. 544).  Return office visits per cardiologists were flat as well from the prior year (2,082 v. 2,084).  Doctors in integrated practices reported a slight increase in these numbers. I believe that the economic downturn may be playing a role in these static numbers, which tend to belie the conventional wisdom of a greater need for cardiologists as more Americans near retirement age.  I also suspect that some people with a need for specialty services may be delaying needed treatment because they are worried about the cost of such treatment.

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