Comparison of Hospital Outcomes for Patients Treated by Allopathic Versus Osteopathic Hospitalists - An Observational Study (Annuals of Internal Medicine)
Summary: The United States has 2 types of degree programs that educate physicians: allopathic and osteopathic medical schools. Authors determine whether quality and costs of care differ between hospitalized Medicare patients treated by allopathic or osteopathic physicians.
Patients studied were a 20% random sample of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries hospitalized with a medical condition during 2016 to 2019 and treated by hospitalists.
Findings: Data were limited to elderly Medicare patients hospitalized with medical conditions. Of 329,510 Medicare admissions, 253,670 (77.0%) and 75,840 (23.0%) received care from allopathic and osteopathic physicians, respectively.
The quality and costs of care were similar between allopathic and osteopathic hospitalists when they cared for elderly patients and worked as the principal physician in a team of health care professionals that often included other allopathic and osteopathic physicians.
Read the Publication: