A study published in BMJ found when older physicians treated inpatients, those patients had a higher 30-day mortality than patients receiving treatment from younger physicians, according to Medscape.
Here are five points:
1. A physician's age did not correlate to 30-day readmission rates.
2. The findings indicated the increased risk did not apply to older physician who had high patient volume.
3. Older physicians generally had slightly higher costs for patient care.
4. The study found for every 77 patients that a physician age 60 years or older treated, one fewer patients would die if a physician younger than 40 years treated them.
5. Yusuke Tsugawa, MD, PhD, lead study author, said the results are exploratory.
