Importance of emergency physicians as referral sources for academic medical centers

Abstract

To identify physician referral patterns and factors involved in the patient referral process. A telephone survey conducted on a systematic sample of physicians who referred at least one patient a month to a tertiary care center. A major southeastern tertiary care academic medical center. Self-identified emergency physicians, family physicians, general surgeons, internists, obstetrician-gynecologists, and pediatricians. None. Emergency physicians comprised 6% of the surveyed sample. Emergency physicians referred the largest number of patients each month to a tertiary care center (40 patients per month) compared with the other target specialists, who referred an average of 16 patients per month (P < .05). Specialty services most often requested by emergency physicians were internal medicine, trauma, and cardiology. Emergency physicians refer more patients to academic medical centers than any other specialty. Academic medical centers should target emergency physicians if they wish to increase their patient referral base.