Geographic distribution, supply, and need for generalist physicians in Alaska

This study provides the first comprehensive description of Alaska's geographic distribution of generalist physicians relative to population. All 443 generalist care physicians (family, general, general internal medicine, and pediatric) or their office managers were questioned about their specialties, ZIP codes, employers, populations served, and hours spent per week offering direct patient care. The results indicated a 30% overall shortage of generalist physicians for the state, representing roughly 141 full-time-equivalent generalists relative to national practice patterns and trends of health maintenance organizations. Of 17 primary health care areas, including the Anchorage area, 15 showed a need for additional generalist physicians. Most areas had a 20 to 40% shortage. Concerns about transportation and financial barriers to access to care, especially in remote regions, were raised. Other needs emphasized included knowledge of contributions of midlevel health care professionals, Alaska Native versus non-Native care, efforts to train and retain physicians in Alaska, and the need for longitudinal tracking of practice patterns.