Characteristics and Practice Patterns of Non-certified Surgeons Treating Medicare Patients
Rebecca Moreci, Rebecca S. Gates, John Luckoski, Kayla Marcotte, Cody L Mullens, Chia Chye Yee, Tanvi Gupta, Daniel Kendrick, Angela Thelen, Andrew E. Krumm, Brian C. George- Surgery
Objective:
The objective of this study is to explore the patient characteristics and practice patterns of non-certified surgeons who treat Medicare patients in the United States.
Summary Background Data:
While most surgeons in the United States are board-certified, non-certified surgeons are permitted to practice in many locations. At the same time, surgical workforce shortages threaten access to surgical care for many patients. It is possible that non-certified surgeons may be able to help fill these access gaps. However, little is known about the practice patterns of non-certified surgeons.
Methods:
A 100% sample of Medicare claims data from 2014-2019 were used to identify practicing general surgeons. Surgeons were categorized as certified or non-certified in general surgery based on data from the American Board of Surgery. Surgeon practice patterns and patient characteristics were analyzed.
Results:
A total of 2,097,206 patient cases were included in the study. These patients were treated by 16,076 surgeons, of which 6% were identified as non-certified surgeons. Compared to certified surgeons, non-certified surgeons were less frequently fellowship-trained (20.5% vs. 24.2%,
Conclusion:
For Medicare patients, non-certified surgeons treated more patients who are non-White, of lower SES, and in more rural, critical-access hospitals.