Jan 20, 2015 | Amanda Van Vleet and Julia Paradis

Over 58 million Americans reside in geographic areas or belong to population groups that are considered primary care shortage areas. In these areas, known officially as primary care Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), the supply of primary care physicians relative to the population falls below federally defined standards.1 The proportion of Americans living in HPSAs varies widely by state, from 1.4% (Nebraska) to 57.3% (Mississippi), but in almost half the states, it is at least 20%, including six states (including DC) where it exceeds 30% (Figure 1). For more go to:

http://kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/tapping-nurse-practitioners-to-meet-rising-demand-for-primary-care/