21% of oncologists left patient care in seven years: 4 notes

Researchers from the University of California San Francisco found that 21 percent of oncology physicians left patient care in the last seven years.

The analysis, published in JCO Oncology Practice, tracked yearly CMS billing data of 16,870 oncologists between 2015 and 2022. Of oncologists tracked, the researchers selected a random sample of 300 with fewer than 30 years of experience who had stopped billing. Using LinkedIn, they analyzed which employers the physicians moved to.

Here are three findings:

1. Of the 300-person sample, 35 percent moved to industry work.
   
   
2. Women, who made up 30 percent of participants, stopped billing at 18 percent by 2022.
   
   
3. Surgical oncologists had the lowest rate of attrition at 17 percent, while radiation oncologists had 21 percent overall attrition.