Physician shortages expected in rural areas for at least next decade, new report finds

For at least the next 12 years, rural areas will continue to have only about two-thirds of the primary care physicians they need, according to a report released Monday (Source: “Shortage of rural doctors won’t end anytime soon, report says,” Stateline via Ohio Capital Journal, Nov. 19).
 
The Commonwealth Fund report is based on analysis of federal health workforce data, and comes just days after states applied for portions of a $50 billion rural health fund included in the broad tax and spending law President Trump signed in July.
 
Nationally, the report found there was an average of one physician per 2,881 rural residents. States in the South had 3,411 patients per physician, whereas states in the Northeast had 1,979 residents per physician.
 
While the demand for primary care physicians will surpass the supply, the study estimates that the supply of rural nurse practitioners will exceed demand over time, as nurse practitioners are the fastest-growing type of clinician in the U.S., regardless of geography, the authors wrote.
 
Last year, HPIO released a data snapshot on health in rural and Appalachian Ohio that explores the drivers of health and health outcomes in rural Ohio.