Issue Brief Examines Emergency On-Call Coverage From Specialist Physicians

Main Category: Primary Care / General Practice
Article Date: 22 Nov 2007 - 6:00 PDT

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"Hospital Emergency On-Call Coverage: Is There a Doctor in the House?" Center for Studying Health System Change: The issue brief examines on-call coverage from specialist physicians in 12 nationally representative metropolitan communities. According to the brief, physicians' reluctance to provide on-call coverage is influenced by decreased dependence on hospital admitting privileges as more services shift to nonhospital settings; payment for emergency care, particularly for uninsured patients; and medical liability concerns. The issue brief also examines implications of hospitals' increasing difficulty in securing emergency on-call coverage by specialists (O'Malley et al., "Hospital Emergency On-Call Coverage: Is There a Doctor in the House?" November 2007).

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