The Independent Physician — Going, Going . . .

Despite the current focus on expanding health insurance coverage, relatively little attention has been paid to the future of the physicians who provide care for the insured and uninsured alike — specifically, to their ongoing migration from independent solo or small-group practices to larger-group practices, where they are often employees. This trend and its consequences for the care of patients and the practice of medicine have scarcely been explored.The percentage of U.S. physicians who own their own practice has been declining at an annual rate of approximately 2% for at least the past 25 years. Although the decline is . . .