Telemedicine Use Among Physicians by Physician Specialty: United States, 2021.

The 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic led to an increase in telemedicine use among physicians, from 15.4% in 2019 to 86.5% in 2021 (1-4). Interest has increased in how telemedicine has affected a physician's ability to deliver quality care similar to an in-person office visit, and in technological barriers to telemedicine use (5). This report describes telemedicine use and challenges among physicians sampled in the 2021 National Electronic Health Records Survey. This report builds upon previous work (4) and describes the use of telemedicine, ability to provide quality care during telemedicine visits, satisfaction with telemedicine, and appropriateness of telemedicine use by physician specialty type.

Physician Specialty and Office Visits Made by Adults With Diagnosed Multiple Chronic Conditions: United States, 2014-2015.

OBJECTIVES: Adults with multiple chronic conditions (MCCs; ≥2 chronic conditions) account for a substantial number of visits to health care providers. The complexity of a patient's care, including the number of chronic conditions, may differ by physician specialty. The objectives of this study were to (1) examine differences in physician office visits among adults with MCCs by physician specialty and (2) identify the types of MCC dyads (combinations of 2 chronic conditions) most common among visits to office-based physicians. METHODS: We used data from the 2014-2015 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (unweighted analytic sample, n = 61 682), a nationally representative survey of physician office-based ambulatory visits, to examine differences in physician office visits among adults with MCCs by physician specialty. We also identified the most commonly observed MCC dyads among these visits. RESULTS: During 2014-2015, 40.0% of physician office visits were made by adults with MCCs. Compared with visits for all specialties combined (40.0%), a significantly higher percentage of physician office visits among adults with MCCs were to specialists in cardiovascular disease (74.7%) and internal medicine (57.6%). For all physician specialties except psychiatry, the MCC dyads of hyperlipidemia and hypertension and diabetes and hypertension were among the most commonly observed MCC dyads among visits made by adults with MCCs. CONCLUSIONS: Awareness of these findings may help specialists improve care for adults with MCCs. The recognition among physicians of common MCC dyads is relevant to the care management of persons with MCCs.

Routine prenatal care visits by provider specialty in the United States, 2009-2010.

KEY FINDINGS: Data from the 2009 and 2010 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey •At 14.1% of routine prenatal care visits in the United States in 2009-2010, women saw providers whose specialty was not obstetrics and gynecology (ob/gyn). •The percentage of routine prenatal care visits that were made to non-ob/gyn providers was highest (20.5%) among women aged 15-19. •Visits to non-ob/gyn providers accounted for a higher percentage of routine prenatal care visits among women with Medicaid (24.3%) and women with no insurance (23.1%) compared with women with private insurance (7.3%). •The percentage of routine prenatal care visits to non-ob/gyn providers was lower among women in large suburban areas (5.1%) compared with those in urban areas (14.4%) or in small towns or suburbs (22.4%). Early and adequate prenatal care is a Healthy People 2020 objective (1). Previous studies have focused on practice patterns of obstetricians/gynecologists or overall ambulatory care utilization by women (2-5). However, the amount of routine prenatal care delivered by obstetrics and gynecology (ob/gyn) providers and non-ob/gyn providers has not been quantified. Understanding which providers deliver prenatal care may yield valuable information about training and workforce needs. This report quantifies the amount of routine prenatal care delivered by non-ob/gyn providers among women aged 15-54 who were seen in physicians' offices, community health centers, and hospital outpatient departments (OPDs).