FREE NEJM E-TOC    HOME   |   SUBSCRIBE   |   CURRENT ISSUE   |   PAST ISSUES   |   COLLECTIONS   |   Search Term  Advanced Search

Sign in | Get NEJM's E-Mail Table of Contents — Free | Subscribe

Previous Volume 309:958-963 October 20, 1983 Number 16 Next

	Add to Personal Archive Add to Citation Manager Notify a Friend E-mail When Cited PubMed Citation

Abstract

We used detailed information from 16 states to determine the distance that residents of outlying areas (or of towns of less than 25,000, outside metropolitan areas) must travel to receive various types of medical care. For both 1970 and 1979, we found that approximately 80 per cent of such residents lived within 10 miles' driving distance of some physician and 98 per cent lived within 25 miles. Most of the remaining 2 per cent lived in areas so sparsely settled that physicians will not find them economically attractive as practice locations. During the 1970s, the distance of members of the studied population from medical and surgical specialists was substantially reduced. The greatest improvement occurred for the specialties that had the largest percentage increase in their numbers. As the physician pool expands further during the 1980s, geographic access to specialty care for rural and small-town residents should show a further notable improvement. However, this improvement may not suffice to meet what some consider the "medical need" of those who are geographically isolated or economically deprived.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Erickson, L. C., Wise, P. H., Cook, E. F., Beiser, A., Newburger, J. W. (2000). The Impact of Managed Care Insurance on Use of Lower-Mortality Hospitals by Children Undergoing Cardiac Surgery in California. Pediatrics 105: 1271-1278 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Erickson, L. C., Torchiana, D. F., Schneider, E. C., Newburger, J. W., Hannan, E. L. (2000). The Relationship Between Managed Care Insurance and Use of Lower-Mortality Hospitals for CABG Surgery. JAMA 283: 1976-1982 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Connor, R. A., Kralewski, J. E., Hillson, S. D. (1994). Measuring Geographic Access to Health Care in Rural Areas. Med Care Res Rev 51: 337-377  
• Halvorson, H. W., Pike, D. K., Reed, F. M., McClatchey, M. W., Gosseuink, C. A. (1993). Using Qualitative Methods to Evaluate Health Service Delivery in Three Rural Colorado Communities. Eval Health Prof 16: 434-447 [Abstract]  
• Bronstein, J. M., Morrisey, M. A. (1991). Bypassing Rural Hospitals for Obstetrics Care. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law 16: 87-118 [Abstract]