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Abstract
Regression analysis was used to analyze the
geographic distribution of physicians Ln the
Northeastern u.s. The ratio of general practitioners
(GP's) to population, and specialists to
population was calculated for each of the 299
counties in the region. The independent variable
es were categorized into three types of factors:
eConomic, professional , and quality-of life
.
Results indicated that both types of physicians
responded similarly to eConomic and quality-
of-life variables, but responded differently
t o professional Considerations. This suggests
that the urban Concentration of specialists
vis-a-vis GP' s is due primarily to the relative
importance of professional Considerations to
specialists. Policy implications and directions
for further research are presented .