Capsule Commentary on Levine et al., Characteristics and Disparities of Primary Care Practices in the United States

Excerpt

Levine et al.’s study examines a new supplemental questionnaire to the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), called the Medical Organizations Survey (MOS). First collected in 2015, it focuses on primary care practice capabilities.1 The MEPS MOS provides a rich description of practice capabilities on a national level, while identifying a few key disparities. We see that 55% of primary care practices are still independently owned, putting the consolidation movement into current context. While the debate surrounding unintended consequences of health system consolidation continues,2 we must remember that a majority of primary care practices remain independent. Additionally, with virtually all practices equipped with an electronic medical record (EMR), the conversation may now move to how to use EMRs to their greatest capability.3 …