Commentary
Inactive Physicians: The State of Our Understanding

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Number of Inactive Physicians

The American Medical Association’s (AMA) publication Physician Characteristics and Distribution in the US,1 is a frequently cited source for national data on inactive physicians. The inactive category includes physicians who are retired, semiretired, working part-time, temporarily not practicing, or not active for other reasons. Between 1990 and 2003, the number of physicians categorized as inactive increased from 52,635 to 84,360—a 60% change. This represents 9.7% of all physicians listed in

Summary

Workforce issues related to physician inactivity are likely to be of greater importance to pediatrics than other specialties, due to the predominance of women entering the pediatric workforce. As greater accountability for both state licensure and board certification are demanded by the public, new challenges will arise regarding processes to ensure that physicians are indeed qualified to provide up-to-date care to their patients.

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  • Supported by a grant from the American Board of Pediatrics Foundation.

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