Here are nine interesting statistics and facts about orthopedic practices, as gathered by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons in its Orthopaedic Practice in the U.S. 2016 report.
1. At the time of the census, AAOS included 29,613 orthopedists. The orthopedic society has been conducting census reports since 1985 when it first created its database.
2. Wyoming, New Hampshire, Montana, Vermont and Alaska are the five states with the highest density of orthopedic surgeons with 13 surgeons per 100,000 people.
3. Arkansas, West Virginia, Nevada, Mississippi and Texas round out the states with the lowest density of orthopedic surgeons with less than eight surgeons per 100,000 people.
4. The average age of an orthopedic surgeon is 55.24 years.
5. Within AAOS, 93.4 percent of members are male, and 6.5 percent are female.
6. The workforce as a whole is made up of 92 percent full-time physicians and 8 percent part-time physicians.
7. Of the census respondents, 58 percent were specialists, 25 percent were general orthopedic surgeons with a specialty interest and 17 percent were generalists.
8. The three most frequently cited practice areas were:
• Sports medicine – 18.8 percent
• Total joint – 11.5 percent
• Hand – 11.2 percent
9. On average, orthopedic surgeons perform around 30 procedures each month. Full-time surgeons report 32 procedures a month, and part-time surgeons average eight procedures a month.
To read the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons report, click here.