Gender Differences in Physician Service Provision Using Medicare Claims Data | JoVE Visualize

Area of Science:

Health Services Research
Medical Economics
Physician Practice Patterns

Background:

Gender-based disparities in healthcare provision and physician compensation are increasingly recognized.
Understanding variations in Medicare service delivery by physician gender is crucial for equitable healthcare.
Previous studies have indicated potential differences, but comprehensive analysis across all Medicare services is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate and quantify differences in Medicare service provision between male and female physicians in the United States.
To analyze variations in total Medicare payments and patient visit volumes based on physician gender.
To explore whether practice intensity differs between male and female physicians within the Medicare system.

Main Methods:

Utilized 2013 Medicare fee-for-service physician and patient data, encompassing over 65 years old population.
Integrated Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data with Physician Compare and Berenson-Eggers Type of Service classification files.
Aggregated total Medicare payments and Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System codes by physician gender, specialty, and practice duration.

Main Results:

Female physicians received, on average, 55% lower total Medicare payments than male physicians across all specialties, excluding drug reimbursement.
The mean number of unique beneficiary visits per female physician was 59% of that for male physicians.
Services provided by female physicians showed 54% lower average intensity (payments per unique patient) compared to male physicians, a difference consistent across practice years.

Conclusions:

Female physicians had significantly lower average total Medicare payments and fewer unique patient visits compared to male physicians for fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries in 2013.
These observed gender-based differences in payments and patient volume persisted regardless of physician specialty or years in practice.
While these findings highlight variations, they do not establish causation, suggesting potential differences in practice patterns as a contributing factor to lower female physician Medicare payments.