Practice Patterns of Non-certified Surgeons Treating Medicare Patients

Non-certified surgeons treating Medicare patients show unique practice patterns, handling more non-white patients, those with lower socioeconomic status, and operating frequently in rural and critical-access hospitals. They’re less likely to be fellowship-trained and more likely to be foreign medical graduates. Non-certified surgeons perform a higher proportion of emergency admissions. However, there were no differences in the gender or age of patients treated by certified versus non-certified surgeons.