Examining the role of the physician as a source of variation: Are physician‐related variations necessarily unwarranted?

RATIONALE, AIMS, AND OBJECTIVES: The physician is often implicated as an important cause of observed variations in health care service use. However, it is not clear if physician-related variation is problematic for patient care. This paper illustrates that observed physician-related variation is not necessarily unwarranted. METHODS: This is a narrative review.