National Healthcare Registry Providers

The Geographic Distribution of Physicians in the United States

The United States does not actively regulate the number, type or geographic distribution of its physician workforce. Health care professionals can choose how and where to work. As a result, workforce distribution and patients´ access to care rely on market forces, often with important but inadequate intervention from the government, medical schools and safety-net programs. The result is incongruency between the geographic location and specialty choice of the health workforce and enduring health care needs of the U.S. population.