OBJECTIVES To determine the distribution of geriatricians across the rural-urban continuum from 2000 to 2008 and to compare with primary care physicians in 2008. DESIGN County-level analysis of physician data from the American Medical Association Physician Masterfile for 2000, 2004, and 2008 merged with U.S. Census data on the number of older (≥65) county residents. Descriptive statistics for...

OBJECTIVES As part of a larger case study exploring physician retention factors and strategies employed by rural communities, the objective of this analysis was to explore the community factors that promoted physician retention. METHODS A qualitative, collective case study design was employed to study four rural communities (cases) in Alberta that retained family physicians for four years or ...

INTRODUCTION Regional or state studies in the USA have documented shortages of rural physicians and other healthcare professionals that can impact on access to health services. The purpose of this study was to determine whether rural hospital chief executive officers (CEOs) in the USA report shortages of health professions and to obtain perceptions about factors influencing recruiting and reten...

PURPOSE Obstetric practice among family physicians has declined in recent years. This study compared the practice patterns of family physicians and obstetrician-gynecologists with and without obstetric practices to provide objective information on one potential reason for this decline--the impact of obstetrics on physician lifestyle. METHODS In 2004, we surveyed all obstetrician-gynecologists...

Health reform and the Affordable Care Act have triggered a renewed interest in strengthening access to primary care services, with a focus on ensuring that the nation has appropriately trained physicians practicing where they are needed. There are about 80 primary care physicians per 100,000 people the United States. Not surprisingly, rural areas have a much lower physician-to-population ratio ...

The pressures for closer alignment between physicians and hospitals in both rural and urban areas are increasing. This study empirically specifies independent dimensions of physician and clinical integration and compares the extent to which such activities are practiced between rural and urban hospitals and among rural hospitals in different organizational and market contexts. Results suggest t...

CONTEXT The contribution that international medical graduates (IMGs) make to reducing the rural-urban maldistribution of physicians in the United States is unclear. Quantifying the extent of such "gap filling" has significant implications for planning IMG workforce needs as well as other state and federal initiatives to increase the numbers of rural providers. PURPOSE To compare the practice ...

health care system is organized to achieve more efficiency as well as developing public equity and providing access to the first, second and third levels of services. family physician is in the first line of the health care system; in other words, family physician is the health system’s goalkeeper. according to classification of health services, gaining access to specialized services becomes po...