The study, published Feb. 6 in JAMA Network Open, used data comprising 291,748,472 Medicare Part B enrollee-years collected by the CDC and Kaiser Family Foundation between Jan. 1, 2014, and Dec. 31, 2022. The data included enrollees in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Here are four study findings:
1. From 2014 to 2022, the number of enrollees decreased by 10.6%, while the number of psychiatrists submitting more than 10 claims to Medicare Part B dropped by 16.8%.
2. The proportion of professionally active psychiatrists submitting claims for professional services nationwide dropped by 44.4% in 2014 and 33% in 2022.
3. By state, Alabama had the highest increase in the number of Medicare Part B-serving psychiatrists per enrollee at 31.7%, while Wyoming had the greatest decrease at 67.8%.
4. Every state and district saw a decrease in the percentage of active psychiatrists billing for professional services over the study period.