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Show Physicians per 100,000 Population For the years surveyed, both Utah and the U.S. have experienced a substantial increase in the number of active nonfederal physicians. However, Utah has approximately 19% fewer physicians per 100,000; this ratio between Utah and the U.S. has remained fairly consistent between 1983 and 1994. Part of this difference may be explained by Utah's large number of frontier and rural counties and disparate population densities. Refer to "Health Provider Shortage Areas" below. Table 110. Physicians per 100,000 Population* Year Utah U.S. Utah:U.S. 1982 175 207 0.85:1 1983 178 211 0.84:1 1985 185 220 0.84:1 1986 189 225 0.84:1 1990 200 237 0.84:1 1992 209 249 0.84:1 1993 210 252 0.83:1 1995 205 252 0.81:1 ?Active, nonfederal physicians. Health Professional Shortage Areas The term "Health Professional Shortage Area" (HPS A) is an official government designation1 put in place to identify and assist medically underserved areas. A HPSA may cover a portion of a county, an entire county or a group of counties. Criteria have been put in place to identify HPSAs. One criterion has to do with unusually high needs. High birth rates (greater than 100 births per 1,000 women age 15-44), high infant mortality rates (greater than 20 per 100 live births), and/or more than 20% of a population living in poverty would indicate potential health professional shortages. Another criterion considers insufficient capacity of existing providers. This includes factors such as 1 Utah Department of Health Division of Health Systems Imporvement Bureau of Primary Care and Rural Health Systems, 1995. Health Professional Shortage Area Designation Criteria. Salt Lake City: author. the number of visits per year per full-time provider, excessive use of the emergency room, and long waits to see physicians. Finally, the ratio of physicians to the population is considered in light of the criteria listed above. Level 1 HPSAs have more than 5,000 residents per physician, if they have a physician. Level 4 HPSAs have a ratio closer to 3,500 residents per physician. The other two levels fall in between. In Utah, the majority of the population lives along the Wasatch Front The remainder of the population is dispersed over 96% of the state's land area. Because of this disparity in Utah's population density, 25 of 29 counties in Utah qualify, at least in part, as Health Professional Shortage Areas. Utah's shortage of health care providers may impact other issues related to access, cost, and quality that are discussed in this section of the Review. 114 Health Care Costs, Access, and Quality |
