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United States Value:
Number of active primary care providers (including general practice, family practice, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, geriatrics, internal medicine, physician assistants and nurse practitioners) per 100,000 population
Appears In:
Number of active primary care providers (including general practice, family practice, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, geriatrics, internal medicine, physician assistants and nurse practitioners) per 100,000 population
Number of active primary care providers (including general practice, family practice, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, geriatrics, internal medicine, physician assistants and nurse practitioners) per 100,000 population
Number of active primary care providers (including general practice, family practice, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, geriatrics, internal medicine, physician assistants and nurse practitioners) per 100,000 population
U.S. HHS, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, National Plan and Provider Enumeration System
Number of active primary care providers (including general practice, family practice, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, geriatrics, internal medicine, physician assistants and nurse practitioners) per 100,000 population
U.S. HHS, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, National Plan and Provider Enumeration System
US Value: 265.3
Top State(s): Massachusetts: 383.1
Bottom State(s): Nevada: 205.1
Definition: Number of active primary care providers (including general practice, family practice, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, geriatrics, internal medicine, physician assistants and nurse practitioners) per 100,000 population
Data Source and Years: U.S. HHS, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, National Plan and Provider Enumeration System, September 2022
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of U.S. HHS, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, National Plan and Provider Enumeration System, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2023.
Primary care physicians provide direct patient care and counsel patients on the appropriate use of specialists and advanced treatment options. They are typically the patient’s first point of contact with the health care system and provide critical preventive care, disease management and referrals to specialists. The COVID-19 pandemic has a profound impact on primary care. Many providers have needed to adjust how they provide in-person services and rapidly increased their use of telehealth services.
The United States is currently facing a shortage of physicians due to the nation’s growing health care needs. Having a better or sufficient supply of primary care physicians in a community has numerous benefits, including:
The number of primary care physicians per 100,000 population is changing due to evolving state populations, physician retirement, new physicians entering the system and physicians changing states and/or specialties. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has estimated that, as of October 2022, an additional 17,000 primary medical care providers are necessary to meet current U.S. health care needs in designated health workforce shortage areas. Projections for primary care shortages by 2034 range from 17,800 to 48,000 physicians, mainly due to population growth and aging.
There are documented racial and socioeconomic disparities in access to primary care physicians, which may contribute to disparities in health outcomes. Populations disproportionately affected by lack of access to primary care include:
Racial disparities in access to care have been linked to differences in socioeconomic status, education level and insurance coverage.
Immediate and long-term measures to address the nation’s primary care shortage include:
Increasing diversity within the physician workforce requires addressing barriers throughout students’ education including:
The effects of increased telehealth use on the demand for primary care providers are uncertain. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) implemented policy changes in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency to make telehealth more accessible. Continuation of those policies may allow more physicians to continue to offer those services.
Regarding rural areas, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has developed the Rural Health Strategy in response to the modern needs of rural Americans. Educational interventions are particularly effective at increasing and retaining a rural health workforce. These include: selecting university students with rural backgrounds, university and post-graduate training in rural locations and supporting further education for qualified rural health professionals. However, more research is needed to address the physician shortage in rural areas.
Healthy People 2030 objectives related to primary care physicians include increasing the proportion of people with a usual primary care provider and reducing the proportion of people who can’t get medical care when needed.
Bodenheimer, Thomas S., and Mark D. Smith. 2013. “Primary Care: Proposed Solutions To The Physician Shortage Without Training More Physicians.” Health Affairs 32 (11): 1881–86. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2013.0234.
Mahmoudi, Elham, and Gail A. Jensen. 2012. “Diverging Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Access to Physician Care: Comparing 2000 and 2007.” Medical Care 50 (4): 327–34. https://doi.org/10.1097/MLR.0b013e318245a111.
Poghosyan, Lusine, Edward J. Timmons, Cilgy M. Abraham, and Grant R. Martsolf. 2019. “The Economic Impact of the Expansion of Nurse Practitioner Scope of Practice for Medicaid.” Journal of Nursing Regulation 10 (1): 15–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2155-8256(19)30078-X.
“QuickStats: Percentage of Adults Aged 18–64 Years with a Usual Place for Health Care, by Race/Ethnicity — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2008 and 2018.” 2020. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 69 (5): 147. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6905a6.
Russell, Deborah, Supriya Mathew, Michelle Fitts, Zania Liddle, Lorna Murakami-Gold, Narelle Campbell, Mark Ramjan, et al. 2021. “Interventions for Health Workforce Retention in Rural and Remote Areas: A Systematic Review.” Human Resources for Health 19 (1): 103. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-021-00643-7.
Starfield, Barbara, Leiyu Shi, and James Macinko. 2005. “Contribution of Primary Care to Health Systems and Health.” The Milbank Quarterly 83 (3): 457–502. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0009.2005.00409.x.
America’s Health Rankings builds on the work of the United Health Foundation to draw attention to public health and better understand the health of various populations. Our platform provides relevant information that policymakers, public health officials, advocates and leaders can use to effect change in their communities.
We have developed detailed analyses on the health of key populations in the country, including women and children, seniors and those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, in addition to a deep dive into health disparities across the country.