ORIGINAL ARTICLES Characteristics of Practice Among Rural and Urban General Surgeons in North Carolina

Objective: To examine variation in the practice patterns of individual general surgeons and how they differ between rural and urban areas of North Carolina. Summary of Background Data: Traditional physician supply analyses often rely on “head counts ” and do not take into account how physicians’ practice patterns differ. Practice characteristics including the volume and the breadth of services that a physician provides may be especially important in understanding the supply and distribution of specialists, such as general surgeons. Methods: Cross-sectional study using physician licensure data linked with administrative records on all inpatient hospital discharges and all surgeries performed at freestanding ambulatory surgery centers in North Carolina i