Ottensmeyer D J, Smith H L
N Engl J Med. 1982 Jan 14;306(2):74-8. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198201143060204.
Many rural areas of the United States are considered medically underserved. At the core of this underservice is a lack of physicians. Physicians are not attracted to rural areas for a variety of personal and professional reasons. We explore the role of established group practices (EGPs) in dealing with these barriers, by using a model of small associated group practices (AGPs) created in rural communities in association with a larger EGP located elsewhere. We also describe the use of this model by the Lovelace Medical Foundation in New Mexico in creating three rural group practices and planning a fourth.
