On the supply of physicians

The congressionally created Council of Graduate Medical Education is conducting a study to assess the adequacy of the current and future supply of physicians in six specialties. The study is revising and updating the needs-based method used by the Graduate Medical Education National Advisory Committee and using this method to project the requirements for physicians for the next two decades. Projections on the supply of physicians will be based on the latest data from the federal government's Bureau of Health Profession's health manpower model. Previous physician manpower studies are reviewed to provide a historic perspective and a frame of reference for the variables, data sources, and assumptions being considered by the Council of Graduate Medical Education study.