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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Physicians

The Aging of the Primary Care Physician Workforce: Are Rural Locations Vulnerable?
Describes the rural areas of the U.S. where impending retirement threatens access to primary care, and offers potential solutions to the problem. Includes a map showing the percent of near-retirement primary care providers in nonmetropolitan areas by state.
Date: 06/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Satisfaction with Practice and Decision to Relocate: An Examination of Rural Physicians
Examines physician satisfaction with various aspects of practice and its association with decisions to continue or discontinue practicing in a rural location.
Author(s): Marc Berk, Jack Feldman, Claudia Schur, Jyoti Gupta
Date: 05/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
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The Crisis in Rural General Surgery
Describes issues rural general surgeons face and why maintaining their supply is important in meeting the needs of the aging rural population.
Date: 04/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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The Crisis in Rural Primary Care
Describes issues facing primary healthcare in rural America including: a declining number of students choosing this career path, low compensation rates, rising malpractice premiums, professional isolation, limited time off, and the scarcity of jobs for spouses.
Date: 04/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Specialty and Geographic Distribution of the Physician Workforce: What Influences Medical Student & Resident Choices?
Identifies factors that influence medical student and resident choices regarding medical specialties and location of practice. Specifically examining student and resident choices surrounding primary care specialties and serving rural and underserved populations. Discusses student debt and the impact of loan repayment and scholarship programs on practice setting choice.
Date: 03/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Robert Graham Center
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A Critical Review of Interventions to Redress the Inequitable Distribution of Healthcare Professionals to Rural and Remote Areas
Reviews the literature on the recruitment and retention of health care providers to rural areas with a focus on physicians. Addresses geographic origin, scholarships and loan repayment programs, and policies.
Author(s): Nathan Wilson, Ian Couper, Elma De Vries, et al.
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 9(2), 1060
Date: 2009
Type: Document
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Malpractice Burden, Rural Location, and Discontinuation of Obstetric Care: A Study of Obstetric Providers in Michigan
Reports on a study that examined whether higher malpractice burden on obstetric providers was associated with an increased likelihood of discontinuing obstetric care and whether there were rural-urban differences in the relationship.
Author(s): Xiao Xu, Kristine A. Siefert, Peter D. Jacobson, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 25(1), 33-42
Date: 2009
Type: Document
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Coming Home: The Patient-Centered Medical-Dental Home in Primary Care Training: Seventh Annual Report to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and to Congress
Outlines nine recommendations for the Title VII, section 747 program to support primary care training and to prepare training programs to educate clinicians to practice in the patient-centered medical home and dental home (PCM-DH). Addresses issues and topics specifically related to rural areas.
Date: 12/2008
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Advisory Committee on Training in Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry
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Wyoming Primary Care Gaps and Policy Options
Provides an overview of the primary care workforce shortages in Wyoming. Discusses examples and policy options that could be implemented to bolster the primary care workforce within the state. Provides statistics on primary care providers by county and by provider characteristics.
Author(s): Susan M. Skillman, C. Holly A. Andrilla, Mark P. Doescher, Barbara J. Robinson
Date: 12/2008
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
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Medicare Physician Payment Policy and the Rural Perspective
Examines the effects of Medicare payment changes on rural physician practice revenue. Discusses the potential impact on physicians' decisions regarding whether to practice in a rural area, whether to accept Medicare patients, and which specialty to pursue.
Author(s): A. Clinton MacKinney, Keith J. Mueller, Timothy D. McBride
Date: 11/2008
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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