By Francesca Mathewes

Clinical practice attrition increased between 2013 and 2019, according to a longitudinal study published Oct. 7.

The study evaluated responses from 712,395 physicians who provided care to Medicare patients over the course of six years.

Rates of attrition were highest in primary care, obstetrics and gynecology and psychiatry, with the overall rate of clinical practice attrition increasing from 3.5% to 4.9%.

The researchers found that rates of attrition increased across gender, age groups, specialties and geographic regions in both rural and urban settings throughout the study period, likely a result of ongoing trends including increased corporatization in medicine, administrative burden, staffing issues and moral injury.