Size of medical practices in the U.S. 2018
U.S. physicians
The number of active doctors of medicine in the U.S. has increased dramatically in the past 50 years. Currently there are almost a million active doctors in the United States. Among all U.S. states, California, followed by New York, has the highest number of active physicians. It is estimated that there is a current deficit in the number of physicians of nearly 22 thousand in the United States. Until 2030 this deficit is expected to grow six-fold.
Medical practices
Many sources indicate that physicians are moving away from private practice and into practices owned by hospitals or medical groups. In 2018, a minority of physicians were practice owners, partners or associates and over half of physicians were employed by someone else. In the same year, a majority of U.S. physicians said that they are at full capacity within their practices while one fifth of physicians indicated that they had more time to see patients.