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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health workforce supply and demand

Rural Research Focus: Rural Physician Shortages
Discusses a model for understanding how many physicians a rural community can support, based on research at the WWAMI Rural Health Research Center.
Author(s): George E. Wright, C. Holly A. Andrilla, L. Gary Hart
Date: 05/2002
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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A Targeted Look at the Rural Health Care Safety Net
Report to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Discusses the safety net, the web of professionals and institutions that provide care to the poor and uninsured regardless of ability of pay. Also covers key safety net programs under the purview of the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Its findings fall into three categories: ensuring access to hospital services, ensuring access to primary care, and maintaining an adequate workforce.
Date: 04/2002
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Addressing Mental Health Workforce Needs in Underserved Rural Areas: Accomplishments and Challenges
Reviews efforts to address mental health workforce needs in underserved rural areas. Includes a history of federal efforts to address rural mental health workforce needs. Discusses Mental Health Professional Shortage Area (MHPSA) designations.
Author(s): Donna C. Bird, Patricia Dempsey, David Hartley
Date: 10/2001
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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If Fewer International Medical Graduates are Allowed in the U.S., Who Might Replace Them in Rural Underserved Areas?
Describes a study based on 1991 and 1996 data that identified rural communities that would be most affected by a decrease in availability of international medical graduates (IMGs) and perceptions of recruiters on who might replace IMGs in these areas.
Author(s): Leonard D. Baer, Thomas R. Konrad, Rebecca T. Slifkin
Date: 05/2001
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Update on the Physician Workforce
Compendium of three policy papers on the physician workforce, two of which address rural issues. The first paper provides data on the supply and distribution of physicians, including rural-specific national data, with state-by-state data in Appendix B. The second paper focuses on the rural family physician workforce, with supply projections through 2020.
Date: 08/2000
Sponsoring organization: Council on Graduate Medical Education
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Physician Distribution and Health Care Challenges in Rural and Inner-City Areas
In-depth review of the geographic maldistribution of physicians. Discusses issues that impact rural physician supply. Includes policy recommendations to improve the geographic distribution of physicians and address rural physician shortages.
Date: 02/1998
Sponsoring organization: Council on Graduate Medical Education
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Tennessee Rural Health Dashboard
Dashboard providing state- and county-level data on rural access to care and rural health policy in Tennessee. Topics covered include rural definitions, poverty, insurance coverage, Federally Qualified Health Centers, Rural Health Clinics, and Healthcare Provider Shortage Area (HPSA) designations.
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Association of Tennessee
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Access to Health Care Services (Virginia)
Explores types of health care services and issues related to access in rural areas of Virginia. Includes state maps showing locations of Rural Health Clinics, Critical Access Hospitals, and Federally Qualified Health Centers. Features statistics on primary care, dental, and mental health providers obligated to serve in shortage areas as of 2020, and avoidable hospitalizations as of 2017, with breakdowns by urban and rural locations.
Sponsoring organization: Virginia Department of Health
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Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Program Evaluation: Academic Years 2018-2023
Summarizes results of a retrospective evaluation of the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program for academic years (AYs) 2018-2023. Features statistics with breakdowns by specialty and by disadvantaged or rural residents, and a summary of accomplishments for those who received THCGME support during AY 2022-2023.
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
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Dashboard: Arkansas Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB-GYN) Physician Workforce
Interactive dashboard providing data on the supply and demand of the obstetrics and gynecology physician workforce in Arkansas, utilizing state-level claims and licensure data. Data may be sorted by county and rural versus urban area.
Sponsoring organization: Arkansas Center for Health Improvement
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