Consultant utilization by family physicians in a university hospital practice

All inpatient consultations obtained by family physicians at a university hospital were monitored for 2 1/2 years to determine the number and types of consultations obtained. Overall, 1,017 consultations were obtained on 2,155 patients (0.47 consultations per patient). The consultation rate, however, gradually decreased from 0.56 consultations per patient at the beginning of the study to 0.36 consultations per patient at the end of the study, probably corresponding to cost-containment pressures placed on physicians by increasing involvement with prepaid health care plans. The specialties most frequently consulted were cardiology, gastroenterology, neurology, and pulmonary medicine, which together accounted for more than one third of all consultations obtained.