The American Medical Association reports the majority of physicians are still in wholly physician-owned practice.
Here are five things to know about the independent physician landscape:
1. The number of physicians in a wholly physician-owned practice decreased slightly in 2014 from 2012. But they are still the majority. Around 56.8 percent of physicians still practice in a wholly physician-owned setting. In 2012, the number was 60 percent.
2. Just over half of physicians are practice owners, a slight decrease from 53.2 percent in 2012.
3. Slightly more than 17 percent of physicians are in solo practice, a decrease from 18.4 percent in 2012.
4. The share of physicians in practices with at least some hospital ownership increased from 23.4 percent to 25.6 percent in 2014.
5. Orthopedic and spine surgeons are among the most independent-minded specialties. There are around 35 percent of orthopedic surgeons working in the orthopedic group practice setting and an additional 15 percent in private practice, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
http://www.aaos.org/research/stats/Surgeonstats.asp