Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Online First
    • Multimedia
    • Collections
    • Past Issues
    • Articles by Subject
    • Articles by Type
    • Supplements
    • Plain Language Summaries
    • Call for Papers
  • Info for
    • Authors
    • Reviewers
    • Media
    • Job Seekers
  • About
    • Annals of Family Medicine
    • Editorial Staff & Boards
    • Sponsoring Organizations
    • Copyrights & Permissions
    • Announcements
  • Engage
    • Engage
    • e-Letters (Comments)
    • Subscribe
    • RSS
    • Email Alerts
    • Journal Club
    • Annals Forum (Archive)
  • Contact
    • Feedback
    • Contact Us
  • Careers

User menu

  • My alerts

Search

  • Advanced search
Annals of Family Medicine
  • My alerts
Annals of Family Medicine

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Online First
    • Multimedia
    • Collections
    • Past Issues
    • Articles by Subject
    • Articles by Type
    • Supplements
    • Plain Language Summaries
    • Call for Papers
  • Info for
    • Authors
    • Reviewers
    • Media
    • Job Seekers
  • About
    • Annals of Family Medicine
    • Editorial Staff & Boards
    • Sponsoring Organizations
    • Copyrights & Permissions
    • Announcements
  • Engage
    • Engage
    • e-Letters (Comments)
    • Subscribe
    • RSS
    • Email Alerts
    • Journal Club
    • Annals Forum (Archive)
  • Contact
    • Feedback
    • Contact Us
  • Careers
  • Follow annalsfm on Twitter
  • Visit annalsfm on Facebook
Research ArticleOriginal Research

Solo and Small Practices: A Vital, Diverse Part of Primary Care

Winston R. Liaw, Anuradha Jetty, Stephen M. Petterson, Lars E. Peterson and Andrew W. Bazemore
The Annals of Family Medicine January 2016, 14 (1) 8-15; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.1839
Winston R. Liaw
1Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: winstonrliaw@gmail.com
Anuradha Jetty
2Robert Graham Center, Washington, DC
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Stephen M. Petterson
2Robert Graham Center, Washington, DC
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Lars E. Peterson
3American Board of Family Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Andrew W. Bazemore
2Robert Graham Center, Washington, DC
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • eLetters
  • PDF
Loading

Abstract

PURPOSE Solo and small practices are facing growing pressure to consolidate. Our objectives were to determine (1) the percentage of family physicians in solo and small practices, and (2) the characteristics of and services provided by these practices.

METHODS A total of 10,888 family physicians seeking certification through the American Board of Family Medicine in 2013 completed a demographic survey. Their practices were split into categories by size: solo, small (2 to 5 providers), medium (6 to 20 providers), and large (more than 20 providers). We also determined the rurality of the county where the physicians practiced. We developed 2 logistic regression models: one assessed predictors of practicing in a solo or small practice, while the other was restricted to solo and small practices and assessed predictors of practicing in a solo practice.

RESULTS More than one-half of respondents worked in solo or small practices. Small practices were the largest group (36%) and were the most likely to be located in a rural setting (20%). The likelihood of having a care coordinator and medical home certification increased with practice size. Physicians were more likely to be practicing in small or solo practices (vs medium-sized or large ones) if they were African American or Hispanic, had been working for more than 30 years, and worked in rural areas. Physicians were more likely to be practicing in small practices (vs solo ones) if they worked in highly rural areas.

CONCLUSIONS Family physicians in solo and small practices comprised the majority among all family physicians seeking board certification and were more likely to work in rural geographies. Extension programs and community health teams have the potential to support transformation within these practices.

  • physician’s practice patterns
  • primary care
  • practice-based research
  • private practice
  • rural health services
  • solo practice
  • Received for publication January 18, 2015.
  • Revision received May 24, 2015.
  • Accepted for publication June 3, 2015.
  • © 2016 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.
View Full Text
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

The Annals of Family Medicine: 14 (1)
The Annals of Family Medicine: 14 (1)
Vol. 14, Issue 1
January/February 2016
  • Table of Contents
  • Index by author
  • Back Matter (PDF)
  • Front Matter (PDF)
  • In Brief
Print
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on Annals of Family Medicine.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Solo and Small Practices: A Vital, Diverse Part of Primary Care
(Your Name) has sent you a message from Annals of Family Medicine
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the Annals of Family Medicine web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
3 + 17 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.
Citation Tools
Solo and Small Practices: A Vital, Diverse Part of Primary Care
Winston R. Liaw, Anuradha Jetty, Stephen M. Petterson, Lars E. Peterson, Andrew W. Bazemore
The Annals of Family Medicine Jan 2016, 14 (1) 8-15; DOI: 10.1370/afm.1839

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Get Permissions
Share
Solo and Small Practices: A Vital, Diverse Part of Primary Care
Winston R. Liaw, Anuradha Jetty, Stephen M. Petterson, Lars E. Peterson, Andrew W. Bazemore
The Annals of Family Medicine Jan 2016, 14 (1) 8-15; DOI: 10.1370/afm.1839
Reddit logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Abstract
    • INTRODUCTION
    • METHODS
    • RESULTS
    • DISCUSSION
    • Footnotes
    • References
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • eLetters
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • PubMed
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • Place Matters: Closing the Gap on Rural Primary Care Quality Improvement Capacity--the Healthy Hearts Northwest Study
  • Improving Smoking and Blood Pressure Outcomes: The Interplay Between Operational Changes and Local Context
  • A Cross-Sectional Study of Factors Associated With Pediatric Scope of Care in Family Medicine
  • Identifying Practice Facilitation Delays and Barriers in Primary Care Quality Improvement
  • The Ability of Practices to Report Clinical Quality Measures: More Evidence of the Size Paradox?
  • Rebuilding after COVID: Planning Systems of Care for the Future
  • A Randomized Trial of External Practice Support to Improve Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Primary Care
  • Does Ownership Make a Difference in Primary Care Practice?
  • Correlates of Burnout in Small Independent Primary Care Practices in an Urban Setting
  • Quality of Cardiovascular Disease Care in Small Urban Practices
  • Technical Assistance for Primary Care Practice Transformation: Free Help to Perform Unpaid Labor?
  • Engaging Primary Care Practices in Studies of Improvement: Did You Budget Enough for Practice Recruitment?
  • Holding On and Letting Go: A Perspective from the Keystone IV Conference
  • The Impact of Debt on Young Family Physicians: Unanswered Questions with Critical Implications
  • The Paradox of Size: How Small, Independent Practices Can Thrive in Value-Based Care
  • In This Issue: Size Matters
  • Achieving PCMH Status May Not Be Meaningful for Small Practices
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Patient-Reported Social Risks and Clinician Decision Making: Results of a Clinician Survey in Primary Care Community Health Centers
  • Validity and Reliability of the Assessment of Burden of Chronic Conditions Scale in the Netherlands
  • Patient Satisfaction With Medical Care for Chronic Low Back Pain: A Pain Research Registry Study
Show more Original Research

Similar Articles

Subjects

  • Person groups:
    • Vulnerable populations
  • Methods:
    • Quantitative methods
  • Other research types:
    • Health policy
    • Health services
    • Professional practice

Keywords

  • physician’s practice patterns
  • primary care
  • practice-based research
  • private practice
  • rural health services
  • solo practice

Content

  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Past Issues in Brief
  • Multimedia
  • Articles by Type
  • Articles by Subject
  • Multimedia
  • Supplements
  • Online First
  • Calls for Papers

Info for

  • Authors
  • Reviewers
  • Media
  • Job Seekers

Engage

  • E-mail Alerts
  • e-Letters (Comments)
  • RSS
  • Journal Club
  • Submit a Manuscript
  • Subscribe
  • Family Medicine Careers

About

  • About Us
  • Editorial Board & Staff
  • Sponsoring Organizations
  • Copyrights & Permissions
  • Contact Us
  • eLetter/Comments Policy

© 2023 Annals of Family Medicine