Posting date: October 7, 2004

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Health Affairs, 10.1377/hlthaff.var.90
Copyright © 2004 by Project HOPE

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Trends: Twenty-Year Trends In Regional Variations In The U.S. Physician Workforce

¹ David Goodman is a professor of pediatrics at the Center for the Evaluative Clinical Sciences, Dartmouth Medical School, in Hanover, New Hampshire.

^*Corresponding author.

Abstract

Large differences in the regional supply of physicians have challenged traditional methods of determining the "right" workforce rate. With continued growth expected in the number of U.S. physicians per capita, this study examines changes over time in regional variation to provide perspective on where future physicians are likely to locate. There was a modest reduction in workforce variation during the past twenty years as the aggregate supply per capita grew more than 50 percent. Most physicians located in regions with an already large supply. Given these persistent patterns, the population benefits of further growth in the workforce are uncertain.

Key Words: Physicians, Quality Of Care, State/Local Issues, Variations

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