Mississippi’s Physician Labor Force: Current Status and Future Concerns (original) (raw)

Social policy implications of physician shortage areas in Missouri

American Journal of Public Health, 1984

A model is used to identify counties in Missouri in which the supply of physician services is inadequate to serve the resident population. In the model, a formula is used to assess the gap between the physician services available in a county and the visits which would be required to serve the residents. Incorporated in the model are adjustments for the age and specialty of the physicians and the age and sex of the population. The model is applied to 1976 and 1981 data in order to analyze the changes which have occurred within the state during that time.

A State Medical Board's Assessment of its Physician Workforce Capacity: Purpose, Process, Perspective and Lessons Learned

Journal of Medical Regulation, 2013

The District of Columbia Board of Medicine (D.C. Board), a division within the District of Columbia Department of Health, Health Regulation and Licensing Administration, regulates more than 12,000 health care professionals-physicians, physician assistants, acupuncturists, anesthesiologist assistants, naturopathic physicians, polysomnographers, and surgical assistants-licensed in the District of Columbia. Recognizing that the licensure renewal period, conducted every two years on even numbered years, presented a unique opportunity to collect data for workforce research and analysis, the D.C. Board embarked in 2010 upon a three-phased project designed to collect demographic and practice characteristic information on licensed physicians and physician assistants under the Board's purview. A multidisciplinary workforce workgroup was assembled by the D.C. Board and tasked with developing survey questions and a method of data collection. The Health Resources and Services Administration's National Center for Workforce Analysis Minimum Data Set was used as a guide in developing the survey. The surveys were voluntary, and elicited a 78% response rate and a 58% response rate for physicians in 2010 and 2012, respectively. This article summarizes the results of the District's Physician Workforce Reports, focusing on the physician data collected. The article outlines the process the D.C. Board used in compiling the reports, and offers perspective on the project for other state medical boards as they consider launching their own workforce data-gathering efforts. The article does not examine or draw conclusions about data for physician assistants.

Career expectancy of physicians active in patient care: evidence from Mississippi

Rural and Remote Health, 2016

Introduction: Physician shortages in the USA, an issue that has been particularly challenging in Mississippi, have been a concern among health scholars and policy makers for several decades. Physician shortages hinder residents from easily obtaining routine care, potentially magnifying health disparities. This study examines physician career life expectancy, or how long physicians typically practice, in Mississippi. Methods: Data on Mississippi's physician population actively involved between 2007 and 2011 were obtained from the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure. Abridged career life tables were constructed for all Mississippi physicians and population subgroups based on practice specialty, gender, race, urban-rural practice, and health professional shortage area status. Results: Upon entry into practice in Mississippi, physicians practiced for about 14.4 years. Rural physicians, primary care physicians, minority physicians, physicians practicing in health professional shortage areas, and men had the longest career expectancies. Physicians who are women or who practice in urban counties were substantially more likely to exit practice compared to all other subgroups examined. The odds of remaining in practice were significantly different based on gender, race, urban-rural practice county, and health professional shortage area status. Conclusions: The first 5 years of practice are the most critical regarding retention for all physicians, regardless of practice specialty, gender, race, urban-rural status, or health professional shortage area status.