Rural Primary Care Challenges Extend Beyond Physician Supply

Rural and economically disadvantaged areas of the country pose a daunting challenge to boosting primary care services, a recent UnitedHealth Group study has found. But there is no single pathway toward expanding access and capacity, it suggests.

"Approximately 50 million Americans live in areas with an under-supply of primary care physicians. Most of these areas are rural," says the report, "Advancing Primary Care Delivery: Practical, Proven, and Scalable Approaches."

"Increased roles for nurse practitioners and physician assistants would add to the system's overall primary care capacity, and could help target capacity to areas where there are fewer primary care physicians," the report suggests.