Where have all the doctors gone?
J. P. Newhouse, A. P. Williams, B. W. Bennett and W. B. Schwartz
As the supply of physicians grew during the 1970s, medical and surgical
specialists diffused into smaller communities. In 1979, nearly every town
with a population of more than 2,500 had ready access to a physician. The
overall pattern of physician distribution was quite similar in the four
disparate geographic regions chosen for study. The data strongly suggest
that competitive forces play a major role in determining where physicians
choose to practice. As the pool of physicians expands during the 1980s, a
wide range of services will become increasingly available to populations
outside metropolitan areas. The methods developed here provide important
tool for evaluating and shaping health manpower policy.
