The Division of Economic and Health Policy Research conducts independent research to support AMA federal, state and private sector advocacy agendas.
One of the division’s most significant efforts is the Physician Practice Benchmark Survey, which focuses on the practice arrangements and payment methodologies of physicians who take care of patients for at least 20 hours per week and don't work for the federal government.
The Benchmark Surveys have been conducted in every even year between 2012 and 2022. Policy Research Perspective reports, based on the surveys, provide detailed analysis of the data.
2022 Benchmark Survey
Recent Changes in Physician Practice Arrangements: Shifts Away from Private Practice and Towards Larger Practice Size Continue Through 2022
This report (PDF) describes the changes in the ownership and organization of physician practices since the first Benchmark Survey was fielded in 2012. Between 2012 and 2022 the share of physicians who work in private practices dropped by 13 percentage points from 60.1% to 46.7%. There has been a redistribution of physicians from small to large practices. The percentage of physicians in practices with 10 or fewer physicians fell from 61.4% in 2012 to 51.8% in 2022, and the percentage of physicians in practices with 50 or more physicians grew from 12.2% to 18.3%. There have also been changes in practice type. Forty-two percent of physicians worked in single specialty practices and 26.7% in multi-specialty practices in 2022, reflecting a shift of about four percentage points since 2012 from the former practice type to the latter. The report also explores the reasons that private practices are sold to hospitals or health systems and describes the differences between private practices and those that are hospital-owned.
Medical Liability Claim Frequency Among U.S. Physicians
This report (PDF) presents estimates of claim frequency among U.S. physicians and explores whether the likelihood of claims varies by age, gender, specialty, Census Division and employment status. It finds that in 2022, 31% of physicians had been sued in their careers to date. It also finds that the risk of ever being sued varies significantly by specialty, gender and age.
2012-2020 Benchmark Surveys
2020 survey
- Physician Compensation Methods: The Combination of Salary and Bonus Continues to Dominate through 2020 as Physicians are Increasingly Paid by Multiple Methods (PDF)
- Payment and Delivery in 2020: Fee-for-Service Revenue Remains Stable While Participation Shifts in Accountable Care Organizations During the Pandemic (PDF)
- Telehealth in 2020: Survey Data Show Widespread Use Across Most Physician Specialties and for a Variety of Functions (PDF)
- Recent Changes in Physician Practice Arrangements: Private Practice Dropped to Less Than 50 Percent of Physicians in 2020 (PDF)
2018 survey
- 2012-2018 Data on Physician Compensation Methods: Upswing in Compensation through the Combination of Salary and Bonus (PDF)
- Payment and Delivery in 2018: Participation in Medical Homes and Accountable Care Organizations on the Rise While Fee-for-Service Revenue Remains Stable (PDF)
- Updated Data on Physician Practice Arrangements: For the First Time, Fewer Physicians are Owners Than Employees (PDF)
2016 survey
- How Are Physicians Paid? A Detailed Look at the Methods Used to Compensate Physicians in Different Practice Types and Specialties (PDF)
- Updated Data on Physician Practice Arrangements: Physician Ownership Drops Below 50 Percent (PDF)
- Medical Liability Claim Frequency among U.S. Physicians (PDF)
- Payment and Delivery in 2016: The Prevalence of Medical Homes, Accountable Care Organizations, and Payment Methods Reported by Physicians (PDF)
- Physicians’ Patient Mix–A Snapshot from the 2016 Benchmark Survey and Changes Associated with the ACA (PDF)
2014 survey
- How Are Physicians Paid? A Detailed Look at the Methods Used to Compensate Physicians in Different Practice Types and Specialties (PDF)
- Payment and Delivery in 2014: The Prevalence of New Models Reported by Physicians (PDF)
- Updated Data on Physician Practice Arrangements: Inching Toward Hospital Ownership (PDF)
2012 survey
- New Data on Physician Compensation Methods: One Size Does Not Fit All (PDF)
- New Data on Physician Practice Arrangements: Private Practice Remains Strong Despite Shifts Toward Hospital Employment (PDF)
