Advertising by physicians. Behavior and attitudes

This article analyzes 380 responses to a systematic sample of 800 physicians in Pennsylvania regarding their advertising behavior and attitudes. The use of advertising is growing despite the fact that most of these physicians are averse to advertising and pessimistic about its effects. Several multivariate techniques are applied to generate a statistical model of the probability that a given physician will advertise. The proportion of physicians who advertise is quite small, and it remains difficult to predict accurately whether a given physician will advertise. Nevertheless, the results suggest several factors that influence the decision. The advertisers are significantly younger than their peers. In addition, advertising is somewhat more prominent among physicians in larger group practices, among primary care physicians, and among those physicians for whom the chief means of reimbursement is the prepayment contract. The research has relevance for health care marketing and for policy analysis concerned with the effects of recent court decisions that remove restrictions on physician advertising.