Evidence for Expanding Physician Supply
Authors: William A. Curry, Clyde Barganier
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2005)

Letters15 March 2005Evidence for Expanding Physician SupplyWilliam A. Curry, MD and Clyde Barganier, DrPHWilliam A. Curry, MDFrom University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL 35294, and Alabama Department of Public Health, Montgomery, AL 36130.Search for more papers by this author and Clyde Barganier, DrPHFrom University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL 35294, and Alabama Department of Public Health, Montgomery, AL 36130.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-142-6-200503150-00020 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Dr. Cooper (1) notes that projections of physician workforce needs suffer from a lack of information about physician work effort, particularly from women and older physicians. This is a critical observation. While Dr. Cooper's model for projecting future needs is impressive, its usefulness—and that of any model—will be severely limited if the baseline data are faulty. The lack of full-time-equivalent data may be a major reason that so many projections of workforce needs have been contradictory (2-4). As Dr. Cooper noted, recent reports suggest either a shortage of primary care physicians or a surplus (5, 6).The ...References1. Cooper RA. Weighing the evidence for expanding physician supply. Ann Intern Med. 2004;141:705-14. [PMID: 15520427] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Rosenblatt RA. A view from the periphery—health care in rural America. N Engl J Med. 2004;351:1049-51. [PMID: 15356300] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Council on Graduate Medical Education. Improving Access to Health Care through Physician Workforce Reform: Directions for the 21st Century: 3rd Report to Congress and the Health and Human Services Secretary. Rockville, MD: Health Resources and Services Administration; 1992. Google Scholar4. Croasdale M. Federal advisory group predicts physician shortage looming. American Medical News. 3 November 2003. Available at www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2003/11/03/prsb1103.htm. Google Scholar5. Rivo ML, Kindig DA. A report card on the physician work force in the United States. N Engl J Med. 1996;334:892-6. [PMID: 8596573] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. Fryer GE, Consoli R, Miyoshi TJ, Dovey SM, Phillips RL, Green LA. Specialist physicians providing primary care services in Colorado. J Am Board Fam Pract. 2004;17:81-90. [PMID: 15082665] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: William A. Curry, MD; Clyde Barganier, DrPHAffiliations: From University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL 35294, and Alabama Department of Public Health, Montgomery, AL 36130. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoWeighing the Evidence for Expanding Physician Supply Richard A. Cooper Evidence for Expanding Physician Supply Sharon I.S. Rounds and Derek C. Angus Evidence for Expanding Physician Supply Richard A. Cooper Evidence for Expanding Physician Supply W. Bruce Fye Evidence for Expanding Physician Supply Vincent M. Pedre III Metrics 15 March 2005Volume 142, Issue 6Page: 473KeywordsDatabasesForecastingGraduate medical educationPilot studiesPopulation statisticsPrimary care physiciansSub-specialty care ePublished: 15 March 2005 Issue Published: 15 March 2005 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2005 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...