So Your Doctor Is a D.O. Does That Matter?

[Jaybee00]

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/13/well/osteopath-doctor-health.html?unlocked_article_code=1.WE8.8D-q.6RcFYkwPONNc&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

 

[forestglip]

This article basically seems to say there's no practical difference between MDs and DOs today except where they tend to work and some techniques DOs learn that most don't end up using.

research has found no significant differences between the professions when it comes to hospital readmissions, death after hospitalizations, surgery outcomes or other patient metrics.

While vestiges from Dr. Still’s original philosophy are still incorporated into modern training — students spend roughly 200 hours learning a hands-on approach for diagnosing and treating various ailments called osteopathic manipulative treatment — most D.O.s say they don’t use these techniques.

Dr. Anita Skariah, a primary care provider at UNC Health in North Carolina, said a D.O.’s more holistic approach to care, that is, asking about a patient’s life stressors, or nutrition, might once have distinguished her from her M.D. colleagues.

But even that has faded as more medical institutions recognize that social factors and lifestyle can shape a person’s health. “I can’t say that it’s unique to me anymore,” she said.

What has remained distinct is where D.O.s work: disproportionately in rural areas, and in primary care practices. Today, nearly 60 percent of D.O.s are primary care providers, a far greater share than those with M.D.s, and osteopathic medical schools produce many more rural doctors than M.D. programs.