title: Physician shortage areas and policies to influence practice location.
abstract: Our intention is to examine the common assumption that physician supply is related strongly to more direct measures of economic shortage. The concept of a medical shortage defined by untreated illness or excess rates of preventable illness is not considered here. We examine the more policy-specific issue of whether the present shortage areas include the most extreme areas, based on these indicators of market tightness. If supply is a poor predictor of shortage, then more direct measures or other more carefully targeted policies should be explored.
mesh_terms: D006291:Health Policy; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D010820:Physicians / Q000600:supply & distribution; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000600:supply & distribution; D011364:Professional Practice; D011365:Professional Practice Location; D014481:United States