With Few MD’s Practicing in Rural Areas, A Different Type of Doctor is Filling the Gap

For 35 years, this town’s residents have brought all manner of illnesses, aches, and worries to Kevin de Regnier’s storefront clinic on the courthouse square — and he loves them for it.

De Regnier is an osteopathic physician who chose to run a family practice in a small community. Many of his patients have been with him for years. Many have chronic health problems, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or mental health struggles, which he helps manage before they become critical.

 

VIEW ARTICLE

Are Health Outcomes Any Different With MDs vs DOs?

Quality and cost of care were similar between allopathic (MD) and osteopathic (DO) physicians who care for older patients in hospital settings, according to a retrospective observational study.

Of over 300,000 Medicare admissions, the adjusted 30-day mortality rate was similar between MDs (9.4%) and DOs (9.5%), with an average marginal effect (AME) of -0.1 percentage point (95% CI, -0.4 to 0.1, P=0.36), reported Atsushi Miyawaki, MD, PhD, of the University of Tokyo in Japan, and co-authors.

 

VIEW ARTICLE

Putting the DO-MD Debate to Bed for Good

During a September 2021 interview on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, comedian Hasan Minhaj referred to doctors of osteopathic medicine, or DOs, as “off-brand doctors” compared with their MD counterparts. The medical community — MDs and DOs alike — hit back.

READ THE ARTICLE