Supply of providers by socioeconomic status and health

To identify active providers, those listed in the 2014 National Plan and Provider Enumeration System to Medicare claims were linked. Using practice location and specialty code, the total number of adult primary care physicians (internal medicine, family medicine, and general practice), NPs, and PAs in each US county were identified. Data on county characteristics were gathered from the 2010 US Census, and the presence of a hospital was identified using the Area Health Resource File. Adjusted for county-level differences, the supply of primary care physicians increased across socioeconomic status (P-trend = 0.01). For instance, the number of primary care physicians was 31% higher in the highest income quartile than in the lowest (RR = 1.31 [95% CI: 1.15, 1.48]). The distribution of PAs exhibited a pattern similar to that of primary care physicians. Policies for enhancing access to care for underserved communities should incorporate incentives to encourage providers to locate in areas of greatest need.(1)