The rate of adoption of new procedures among physicians. The impact of specialty and practice characteristics.

Four hundred eighty-four physicians were surveyed on the number of new procedures they adopted during a 1-year period. Clear differences were found among specialties. A simultaneous statistical analysis of factors affecting the adoption of new procedures yielded a number of additional significant relationships. Up to an age of approximately 50 years, age has an increasing impact on the number of new procedures adopted by physicians. Beyond that age, it has a decreasing effect. Board certified physicians tend to adopt more new procedures than physicians who are not board certified. Among those physicians in nonurban locations, those in solo practice adopt significantly fewer procedures than those in other practice modes. The implications of these findings for such issues as the rising costs of health care and physician reimbursement systems are discussed.