US physician Medicare program participation and exit, 2013-2023

JAMA

2025-10-20

(Press-News.org) About The Study: This study characterized trends in the number of physicians participating in the Medicare program from 2013 to 2023 and identified physician- and county-level characteristics associated with program exit. Consistent with previous work, this study found a 6.3% increase in participating physicians, but physicians located in nonmetropolitan counties and full-shortage Health Professional Shortage Area counties were more likely to exit the program. The increased likelihood of Medicare program exits will likely reduce access to care for already underserved communities.

Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Christopher M. Whaley, PhD, email christopher_whaley@brown.edu.

To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/

(doi:10.1001/jama.2025.15343)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

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