Distributional change in physician manpower, United States, 1963-80

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Medical Economics
• Health Workforce Distribution

Background:

• Physician distribution patterns are crucial for healthcare access and equity.
• Understanding factors influencing physician locational choice is essential for policy development.
• Previous studies have explored physician distribution, but comprehensive analysis over time is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze changes in the locational distribution of physicians in the United States from 1963 to 1980.
• To evaluate whether physician distribution became more uniform over time.
• To assess the applicability of economic location theories to physician distribution.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the American Medical Association's Physician Masterfiles (1963-1980).
• Employed the GINI index of resource concentration to measure changes in physician locational patterns.
• Analyzed distribution across all major physician categories, including General Practitioners and various specialists.

Main Results:

• Physician distribution became more uniform overall, with notable exceptions for General Practitioners.
• Increases in the supply of Surgical Specialists, Medical Specialists, and Other Specialists correlated with increased dispersion across counties (23.1%, 17.9%, and 21% respectively).
• By 1980, Surgical Specialists exhibited the most uniform distribution among all physician groups.

Conclusions:

• The expectation of a more uniform physician distribution was largely met for specialists, but not for General Practitioners.
• Findings provide evidence supporting economic theories of locational choice for physicians.
• The study highlights differential distribution trends among physician categories, with implications for healthcare resource allocation.