Primary care physicians in underserved areas. Family physicians dominate

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Medical Geography
• Physician Workforce Studies

Background:

• Medically underserved areas face challenges in primary care access.
• Understanding physician distribution is crucial for addressing healthcare disparities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the likelihood of different primary care physician types locating in medically underserved areas in California.
• To analyze rural and urban underserved area distribution patterns among physicians.

Main Methods:

• Utilized definitions of medically underserved areas from the California Health Manpower Policy Commission.
• Analyzed physician location data from a 1984-1986 survey of California physicians.
• Compared location patterns of board-certified and non-board-certified family/general physicians against other primary care physicians.

Main Results:

• Board-certified family physicians were 3x more likely to locate in rural underserved areas compared to other primary care physicians.
• Non-board-certified family and general physicians were 1.6x more likely to locate in rural underserved areas.
• Family and general practice physicians showed a slightly higher propensity for urban underserved areas.

Conclusions:

• Family and general practice physicians play a significant role in serving medically underserved communities, particularly in rural settings.
• Postgraduate training and board certification appear to influence physician location decisions in underserved areas.
• Targeted recruitment strategies may be needed to further incentivize primary care physicians in all underserved regions.