Social policy implications of physician shortage areas in Missouri

A model is used to identify counties in Missouri in which the supply of physician services is inadequate to serve the resident population. In the model, a formula is used to assess the gap between the physician services available in a county and the visits which would be required to serve the residents. Incorporated in the model are adjustments for the age and specialty of the physicians and the age and sex of the population. The model is applied to 1976 and 1981 data in order to analyze the changes which have occurred within the state during that time. The results show that in spite of a 34 per cent increase in the number of physicians practicing in Missouri between 1976 and 1981, 24 of the 115 counties in the state experienced a decrease in their ability to serve their resident populations adequately. Of these 24 counties, 23 had populations of less than 25,000 and 12 had populations of less than 10,000. A factor magnifying the underservice problem is the sharp increase in the proportion of older physicians located in small, rural counties. In 1981, 47 per cent of the primary care physicians located in counties with less than 10,000 people were aged 60 and over, compared to 34 per cent in 1976. This portends major problems in the future in obtaining replacements.