Where are they going? Growth in Primary Care Clinician Supply in the US, 2018-2024

Karen E. Schifferdecker PhD, MPH

Associate Professor
The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice
Community and Family Medicine
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

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Primary care is widely recognized to be the foundation of a high-performing health care system. An adequate supply of primary care physicians has long been seen as the cornerstone, with most studies finding an association between increased supply and lower mortality. In the United States, primary care physician supply is falling but the overall supply of primary care clinicians per capita is growing.  Much remains unknown, however about whether the increased supply of primary care clinicians has improved the distribution of those clinicians to areas of greater need. This presentation will provide a summary of recent examinations of supply and new, national study results related to primary care clinician distribution using methods developed and recommended by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to identify primary care clinicians and practices nationally.