Characteristics of primary care physicians and their practices in Alberta in 2015, categorized by practice status (part-time or full-time) determined by the service day activities method
| Characteristic | Part-time n = 1170 | Full-time n = 2151 |
|---|---|---|
| Physician characteristics | ||
| Sex, male, no. (%) | 512 (43.8) | 1452 (67.5) |
| No. of years since graduation, mean ± SD | 20.4 ± 13.4 | 22.6 ± 11.7 |
| International medical graduate, no. (%) | 200 (17.1) | 794 (37.0) |
| Service days | ||
| No. of service days with ≥ 10 patients, mean ± SD | 78.4 ± 40.8 | 201.9 ± 39.0 |
| No. of service days with ≥ 20 patients, mean ± SD | 41.5 ± 36.9 | 154.8 ± 63.5 |
| No. of service days with ≥ 1 patient, mean ± SD | 115.6 ± 55.6 | 223.3 ± 41.2 |
| No. of service days per week with ≥ 10 patients, mean | 1.7 | 4.4 |
| No. of service days per week with ≥ 1 patient, mean | 2.5 | 4.8 |
| No. of service days with < 10 patients, mean ± SD | 37.2 ± 46.1 | 21.4 ± 23.0 |
| No. of weekend service days with ≥ 10 patients, mean ± SD | 12.0 ± 13.3 | 21.2 ± 20.1 |
| No. of weekend service days with ≥ 20 patients, mean ± SD | 9.3 ± 12.3 | 16.5 ± 18.7 |
| Gross annual revenue, $, median (IQR) | 147 265 (86 611–212450) | 376 846 (284 797–502 128) |
| Panel characteristics and patient volume | ||
| Panel size, no. of patients, mean ± SD | 343.2 ± 263.7 | 1199.8 ± 658.1 |
| Percentage of claims from panel,* mean ± SD | 45.2 ± 24.6 | 69.4 ± 21.3 |
| Average patient volume,† mean ± SD | 18.8 ± 10.5 | 27.9 ± 11.4 |
| Practice location by zone,‡ no. (%) | ||
| Zone 1 | 67 (5.7) | 171 (7.9) |
| Zone 2 | 495 (42.3) | 785 (36.5) |
| Zone 3 | 106 (9.1) | 270 (12.6) |
| Zone 4 | 365 (31.2) | 727 (33.8) |
| Zone 5 | 98 (8.4) | 190 (8.8) |
| Unknown zone | 39 (3.3) | 8 (0.4) |
| Practice location by urban–rural continuum,‡ no. (%) | ||
| Urban | 101 (8.6) | 242 (11.3) |
| Metro | 704 (60.2) | 1127 (52.4) |
| Moderate metro influence | 99 (8.5) | 301 (14.0) |
| Moderate urban influence | 6 (0.5) | 24 (1.1) |
| Rural | 165 (14.1) | 317 (14.7) |
| Rural centre area | 36 (3.1) | 91 (4.2) |
| Rural remote | 20 (1.7) | 41 (1.9) |
| Unknown | 39 (3.3) | 8 (0.4) |
Note: IQR = interquartile range, SD = standard deviation.
↵* Proportion of claims for the patients in a primary care physician’s panel that are attributed to that physician.
↵† Average number of patients seen per day.
↵‡ Geographic zones and population density ranges along the urban–rural continuum defined by Alberta Health Services.23,24