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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Physicians

Pathways to Rural Practice: A Chartbook of Family Medicine Residency Training Locations and Characteristics
Discusses characteristics and geographic locations of family medicine residency programs' rural locations, types of rural family medicine training by location, and rural mission of family medicine residencies.
Author(s): L. Gary Hart, Denise M. Lishner, Eric H. Larson, et al.
Date: 08/2005
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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International Medical Graduate Physicians in the U.S.: Changes Since 1981
Describes changes over time in the supply and distribution of International Medical Graduates (IMGs), based on five-year interval data from 1981 through 2001. Addresses IMG country of education, distribution in the U.S., demographics, type of practice, specialty, and contribution to patient care in rural areas and persistent poverty counties.
Author(s): L. Gary Hart, Susan M. Skillman, Amy Hagopian, et al.
Date: 03/2005
Sponsoring organization: UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
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Medicare Physician Fees: Geographic Adjustment Indices Are Valid in Design, but Data and Methods Need Refinement
Discusses Medicare's geographic practice cost indices (GPCI). Includes discussion of how these indices impact rural physicians, physician incomes, location, recruitment, and retention.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 03/2005
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Medicare Fee-for-Service Beneficiary Access to Physician Services: Trends in Utilization of Services, 2000-2002
Reports on Medicare beneficiaries' access to physician services in 2000, 2001, and 2002, with comparison of rural versus urban access.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 02/2005
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Physician Workforce: Supply Increased in Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Areas but Geographic Disparities Persisted
Describes the change in supply of physicians from 1991 to 2001. Includes data nationally and by state on physicians in nonmetropolitan areas and on the number of specialists versus generalists. Includes a list of Health Resources and Services Administration programs that address the supply and distribution of health professionals, with 1991 and 2001 expenditures for each program.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 10/2003
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Who is Caring for the Underserved? A Comparison of Primary Care Physicians and Nonphysician Clinicians in California and Washington
Compares the geographic distribution and patient populations of physician and nonphysician primary care clinicians. Includes the proportion of clinicians within each discipline practicing in rural areas, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), and areas with vulnerable populations.
Author(s): Kevin Grumbach, L. Gary Hart, Elizabeth Mertz, Janet Coffman, Lorella Palazzo
Citation: Annals of Family Medicine, 1(2), 97-104
Date: 07/2003
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Characteristics and Roles of Rural Health Clinics in the United States: A Chartbook
Offers a comprehensive picture of the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) program and the operations of RHCs. Covers characteristics of RHCs, staffing and recruitment, location, and more.
Author(s): John A. Gale, Andrew F. Coburn
Date: 01/2003
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Trends in Special Medicare Payments and Service Utilization for Rural Areas in the 1990s
Presents the findings of an analysis of payment trends for providers qualifying under Medicare special payment provisions for rural providers. Covers payment trends for rural hospitals, Rural Health Clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and physicians.
Author(s): Donna O. Farley, Lisa R. Shugarman, Pat Taylor, et al.
Date: 06/2002
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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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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The Proximity of Rural Black and Hispanic/Latino Communities to Physicians and Hospital Services
Reports the findings of a study based on 1990 data of how the demographic composition of rural communities relates to local physician concentrations and to distances to hospitals offering various levels of services.
Author(s): Donald E. Pathman, Thomas R. Konrad, Robert Schwartz
Date: 05/2001
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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