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Published on: August 16, 2010
Physician supply and distribution in Georgia.
Journal of the Medical Association of Georgia
|August 1, 1989
Summary
Georgia faces an urgent physician supply issue, with shortages in rural areas and a concentration of doctors in metropolitan counties. Addressing this requires understanding physician distribution, demographics, and specialty needs, especially for family practitioners.
Area of Science:
- Health Policy
- Medical Economics
- Rural Health
Background:
- Physician distribution in Georgia is uneven, with rural areas experiencing significant shortages.
- Metropolitan counties have a surplus of physicians, while rural counties have the lowest rates.
- Primary care, particularly family practice, is the most dominant specialty, especially in rural settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the current physician supply and distribution in Georgia.
- To identify demographic trends, including age and specialty distribution.
- To assess the impact of factors like Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) and Medicare participation on physician availability.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of physician distribution across different county population groupings.
- Examination of physician demographics, including age and specialty.
- Review of Foreign Medical Graduate (FMG) practice patterns and Medicare acceptance rates.
Main Results:
- Rural counties (under 50,000 population) have the lowest physician rates, with only 16% of all physicians practicing there.
- The majority of physicians are concentrated in metropolitan areas.
- Family practice is the most uniformly distributed and needed specialty.
- A significant portion of physicians are over 55, with many expected to retire by 2000.
- Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) tend to practice in underserved areas, favoring specialties like pediatrics, internal medicine, family practice, and obstetrics/gynecology.
- Medicare participation varies by specialty, with obstetricians facing challenges due to malpractice insurance.
Conclusions:
- Georgia's physician supply is a critical issue, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
- Demographic trends, including an aging physician population and expected retirements, will exacerbate shortages.
- Targeted strategies are needed to improve physician distribution and ensure access to care, especially in primary care and obstetrics/gynecology.
