Osteopathic Versus Allopathic Radiologist Workforce Characteristics: A Medicare Administrative and Claims Data...

Area of Science:

• Medical Workforce Analysis
• Radiology
• Osteopathic Medicine

Background:

• Radiologist medical school pathways are understudied.
• Osteopathic medical school enrollment is increasing.
• Understanding the osteopathic vs. allopathic composition of the radiologist workforce is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the osteopathic versus allopathic composition of the radiologist workforce.
• To analyze individual and practice characteristics of radiologists with osteopathic degrees.

Main Methods:

• Linked Medicare databases and Physician and Other Supplier Files (2014-2019).
• Descriptive analysis and multivariate panel logistic regression modeling.
• Assessed self-reported medical degrees of radiologists.

Main Results:

• Osteopathic radiologists increased by 46.0% (4.7% to 6.0% of workforce) from 2014-2019.
• Osteopathic radiologists are less likely to be in urban areas and more likely to practice general radiology.
• They are more prevalent in rural areas and the Midwest compared to allopathic counterparts.

Conclusions:

• Osteopathic physicians are a growing, earlier-career segment of the radiologist workforce.
• They are more likely to be generalists, practice rurally, and in the Midwest.
• Increasing osteopathic representation may enhance access to general and rural radiology services.