Les primary care physicians Américains

Objective: The purpose of this article is to describe the organization of primary care medicine and more specifically its socio-demographic characteristics. Results: In 1997, the United-States counted more than 750,000 physicians. Only one third of them (250,000) were primary care physicians (PCP), and their percentage has been falling steadily for the last twenty years (40% in 1970). The profession has attracted more and more women for the last three decades. Seventy percent of PCPs are office based (solo or in-group), 26% work in a hospital and 4% for a university or an administration. The average number of practitioners, in a group, is 5.5. Their annual income ranges from $140,000 to $231,000 and more than 90% of them have managed care contracts. Almost 95% of physicians have a professional insurance and every year about 10% are sued for malpractice. Among physicians ethnic minorities are under represented. Finally the important drop in the number of PCPs wil be in the future a key issue for the American health system.