Ohio Physician Shortage Facts
Physician supply lags behind patient demand nationally and across Ohio. As supply falls, patients wait longer to see a doctor, and doctors burn out.
By 2030
The U.S. is projected to have 120,000 too few doctors nationally.1,2,3
- Nearly 40% of American physicians will reach retirement age.
- The United States will face a shortage of over 120,000 physicians.
- 30.5% of Ohio physicians are within retirement range right now.
Ohio is projected to be short 681 doctors.4
The rural and Appalachian regions of Ohio are most impacted by this shortage.5
- 71.3% of rural and Appalachian residents report inadequate access to healthcare services as opposed to only 44.9% of nonrural residents.
- More than 20% of rural and Appalachian residents travel at least 20 miles or 50 minutes for healthcare services.
57 of Ohio’s 88 counties are health professional shortage areas (HPSAs).6,7,8
- Low-income citizens are disproportionately affected by these shortages.
- HPSA designations indicate areas where there are 3,500 or more patients for every one provider.
- 2,401,969 Ohio residents live in an HPSA.
Ranked against other states, Ohio’s doctor-to-patient ratio is:
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