Changes in supply and distribution of family physicians in the United States

From 1970 to 1980, the supply of family and general physicians in the United States increased by 4 percent. The overall increase was not felt uniformly among the states. Rather, the distribution reflected general regional trends in the United States. The analysis derives from a comparison of 1970 and 1980 American Medical Association and Bureau of the Census data. A study is made of changes in the supply of family and general physicians, in the number of residents in family practice programs, in the supply of general internists and pediatricians, in the population, and in the per capita income of each state. Regions with economic and population growth also benefited from immigration of family physicians and from new residency programs. They had fewer barriers to growth in the form of primary care competitors and elderly general practitioners requiring replacement. The dominance of market forces in channeling the effects of educational and manpower politics raises challenges for the specialty of family practice.