The Characteristics of Physicians Who Primarily Practice in Nursing Homes

The number of clinicians who primarily practice in nursing homes (NHs), recently referred to as “SNFists,” increased by 33% between 2012 and 2015.1 Recent research suggests that SNFists provide higher-quality care to NH patients than other clinicians,2 and NH medicine has been proposed as a formal specialty,3 yet little is known about the characteristics of SNFists. Such information will be important in further linking attributes that may be associated with outcomes—for example, training and practice setting—and which may have policy implications.