The number of physicians exiting traditional Medicare has accelerated, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic, with the annual exit rate climbing from less than 1% in 2013 to nearly 5% in 2023, a new JAMA study has found. The study, a review of Medicare fee-for-service claims data, found that while the total number of physicians in fee-for-service Medicare rose modestly over the decade, from about 586,000 to 622,000, departures have accelerated sharply in recent years. Participation peaked in 2019, then began a steady decline that has continued. Researchers found higher exit rates among older doctors, women, primary care physicians and those practicing in rural or underserved areas, but stopped short of making a claim about the impact of the pandemic. The trend raises concern that access to care for Medicare beneficiaries could erode even as the overall physician workforce grows; these patterns could exacerbate existing access gaps for older and rural Americans.
