Table 1.
Characteristics of All Family Physicians in Ontario, Canada Active in 2019 and Comparison of Characteristics Between Those With No Outpatient Visits During the First 6 Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic (March-September 2020) and Those With Any Visits
| Characteristic | All Family Physicians Active in 2019 |
Family Physicians With Any Outpatient Visits From March to September 2020 |
Family physicians With No Outpatient Visits March to September 2020 |
P Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physician age group, y | n = 12,247 (%) | n = 11,862 (%) | n = 385 (%) | |
| ≤44 | 4,320 (35.3) | 4,188 (35.3) | 132 (34.3) | <0.001 |
| 45-64 | 5,746 (46.9) | 5,644 (47.6) | 102 (26.5) | |
| 65-74 | 1,718 (14.0) | 1,618 (13.6) | 100 (26.0) | |
| ≥75 | 454 (3.7) | 404 (3.4) | 50 (13.0) | |
| Missing | 9 (0.1) | 8 (0.1) | 1 (0.3) | |
| Physician age, y | ||||
| Mean ± SD | 51 ± 13 | 51 ± 13 | 56 ± 16 | <0.001 |
| Physician sex | ||||
| Female | 5,861 (47.9) | 5,674 (47.8) | 187 (48.6) | 0.775 |
| Male | 6,386 (52.1) | 6,188 (52.2) | 198 (51.4) | |
| Model of care | ||||
| PEM: Non-team capitation | 3,114 (25.4) | 3,052 (25.7) | 62 (16.1) | <0.001 |
| PEM: Enhanced fee-for-service | 2,854 (23.3) | 2,769 (23.3) | 85 (22.1) | |
| PEM: Team-based capitation | 2,893 (23.6) | 2,825 (23.8) | 68 (17.7) | |
| Non-PEM: Straight fee-for-service | 3,099 (25.3) | 2,954 (24.9) | 145 (37.7) | |
| Missing | 287 (2.3) | 262 (2.2) | 25 (6.5) | |
| Rurality (RIO) | ||||
| Big cities (0) | 5,971 (48.8) | 5,773 (48.7) | 198 (51.4) | 0.399 |
| Smaller cities (1 – 9) | 3,338 (27.3) | 3,245 (27.4) | 93 (24.2) | |
| Small towns (10 – 39) | 1,817 (14.8) | 1,756 (14.8) | 61 (15.8) | |
| Rural (≥40) | 1,111 (9.1) | 1,079 (9.1) | 32 (8.3) | |
| Missing | 10 (0.1) | 9 (0.1) | 1 (0.3) | |
| Physician panel size group | ||||
| <100 | 1,847 (15.1) | 1,761 (14.8) | 86 (22.3) | <0.001 |
| 100-499 | 1,378 (11.3) | 1,310 (11.0) | 68 (17.7) | |
| 500-999 | 2,369 (19.3) | 2,287 (19.3) | 82 (21.3) | |
| 1,000-1,499 | 2,980 (24.3) | 2,917 (24.6) | 63 (16.4) | |
| 1,500-1,999 | 1,899 (15.5) | 1,858 (15.7) | 41 (10.6) | |
| ≥2,000 | 1,487 (12.1) | 1,467 (12.4) | 20 (5.2) | |
| Missing | 287 (2.3) | 262 (2.2) | 25 (6.5) | |
| Physician panel size | ||||
| Mean ± SD | 1,097 ± 829 | 1,106 ± 829 | 788 ± 741 | <0.001 |
| Median (IQR) | 1,059 (417-1,580) | 1,069 (437-1,588) | 673 (114-1,259) | <0.001 |
| Days with ≥1 billing, no. | ||||
| March – Sept 2019 Mean ± SD | 100 ± 35 | 101 ± 35 | 73 ± 35 | <0.001 |
| March – Sept 2020 Mean ± SD | 109 ± 42 | 109 ± 42 | 0 ± 0 | |
| Total visits, no. | ||||
| March – Sept 2019 Mean ± SD | 2,061 ± 1,795 | 2,087 ± 1,803 | 1,266 ± 1,281 | <0.001 |
| March – Sept 2020 Mean ± SD | 1,703 ± 1,674 | 1,758 ± 1,672 | 0 ± 0 | <0.001 |
| Percent of virtual visits | ||||
| March – Sept 2019 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.07 | <0.001 |
| March – Sept 2020 | 66.0 | 66.0 | ||
PEM = patient enrollment model; RIO = Rurality Index of Ontario.
Notes: The total number of billing days for the study period including weekends and holidays was 203 days (29 weeks). Rurality categorized using the Rurality Index of Ontario. See Kralj B. Measuring Rurality — RIO2008 BASIC: Methodology and Results. Ontario Medical Association; 2009. Accessed Sep 22, 2020. https://content.oma.org//wp-content/uploads/2008rio-fulltechnicalpaper.pdf