Hematologist/oncologists in group practice had a median of 2,719 ambulatory encounters in 2010, up just 0.3% since 2007, according to a survey by the Medical Group Management Association.
Hematologist/oncologists in hospital-owned practices averaged 2,362 ambulatory encounters in 2010, compared with 2,864 for those who were not in hospital-owned practices, the MGMA reported. Male hematologist/oncologists had a median of 2,864 ambulatory encounters, while the median for females was 2,240. Geographically speaking, those in the western United States had the highest number of ambulatory encounters, 3,027, while those in East, with 2,295 encounters, had the lowest.
The MGMA considered an ambulatory encounter to be "documented, face-to-face contact between a patient and a provider" that did not take place in an inpatient hospital and did not involve a surgical procedure.
The 2010 edition of the annual survey, conducted among MGMA members and nonmembers, includes data from 2,846 group practices representing 59,375 physician and nonphysician providers. The MGMA presents survey highlights in its In Practice blog.