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diggDoctor, resident ratio improving, still low
Still more physicians are needed to meet the state's growing demand
Arizona's physician-to-population ratio is improving. However, more physicians are needed to meet the state's growing demand, according to a recent report released by Arizona State University's Center for Health & Information Research.
The study, one in a series, indicates that despite recent gains in the number of practicing physicians, the state is likely to face a persistent physician shortage for years to come, particularly in rural areas.
The "Arizona Physician Workforce Study" was funded by the Flinn Foundation, St. Luke's Health Initiatives and Legacy Foundation in cooperation with the University of Arizona College of Medicine. The "Arizona Physicians Workforce Study Part 2" examines information on the supply of physicians through 2005 and forecasts demand for the next 15 years. It concludes that Arizona must continue to rely on physicians trained in other states for the overwhelming majority of its physician work force.
The shortage is likely to continue in part because more than one in 10 Arizona physicians will be 65 years old or older by 2010, and most can be expected to retire, the study shows. The report shows a more acute physician shortage in rural areas, and it also notes that Arizona residency training programs are more likely to supply physicians to urban counties than to rural counties.
The report concludes there is a need to assess the supply of other health care professionals - nurses, pharmacists, dentists and medical technologists - in order to devise effective polices to meet increasing health care needs throughout the state.
