Of 440,667 US physician, dentist, other health practitioner and outpatient mental health firms with employees in 2022, 92.3% had fewer than 20 employees, by Kent Applied's sum of Census Bureau figures.
92.3%
of US practice firms with employees have fewer than 20
Of 440,667 US physician, dentist, other health practitioner and outpatient mental health firms with employees in 2022, 92.3% had fewer than 20 employees, by Kent Applied's sum of Census Bureau figures.
406,615 of 440,667 firms, summed from the US rows for NAICS 6211, 6212, 6213 and 621420 in the 2022 Statistics of US Businesses.
Source: Statistics of US Businesses 2022, US and state totals by 6-digit NAICS (opens in a new tab), US rows, NAICS 6211, 6212, 6213 and 621420, enterprise sizes Total and under 20. Verified October 2026.
Related charts
- From research
Of the 44 problems, 13 are about money and payers and 10 about rules, surveys and audits
Kent Applied, Where AI tools fit in healthcare, by kind of organization - From research
Health care and social assistance firms use AI at about the US rate, half the top sector's
US Census Bureau, Business Trends and Outlook Survey (sector estimates); BTOS national estimates; US Census Bureau, Business Trends and Outlook Survey (about the survey); US Census Bureau, 2022 NAICS descriptions - From the blog
4 of the 7 practice problems on Kent Applied's map need no patient data
Kent Applied, Where AI tools fit in healthcare, by kind of organization; NYC Local Law 144; California Civil Rights Council - From the blog
Imaging, insurance checks, charting and billing lead dentists' current and planned AI use
ADA Health Policy Institute, The State of the US Dental Economy, 2nd Quarter 2026 Update
Sources for the figures above: US Census Bureau, Business Trends and Outlook Survey (sector estimates) (opens in a new tab); Business Trends and Outlook Survey, national estimates (opens in a new tab).
Related facts
3,567
of 5,121 US community hospitals belong to a health system of any size
3,567 of the 5,121 US community hospitals belonged to a health system of any size in the 2024 AHA Annual Survey, and 1,797 were rural, AHA's 2026 Fast Facts reports. The two counts overlap, because some rural hospitals also belong to a system.
Source: Fast Facts on U.S. Hospitals, 2026.
KentApplied40
prior authorizations a week, on average, per physician
Physicians complete an average of 40 prior authorizations a week, which take 13 hours of physician and staff time, the AMA's 2025 survey of 1,000 physicians found.
Source: AMA survey: Prior authorization reform pledge falls short with physicians.
KentApplied24.8%
of US health care and social assistance businesses said they used AI between September 7 and 20, 2026
In a Census Bureau survey covering September 7 to 20, 2026, 24.8% of US health care and social assistance businesses said they had used AI somewhere in their business. 23.8% of all US businesses did.
Source: Business Trends and Outlook Survey, sector estimates.
KentApplied
Sources for the figures above: Fast Facts on U.S. Hospitals, 2026 (opens in a new tab); AMA survey: Prior authorization reform pledge falls short with physicians (opens in a new tab); US Census Bureau, Business Trends and Outlook Survey (sector estimates) (opens in a new tab); Business Trends and Outlook Survey, national estimates (opens in a new tab).
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