Geographical Distribution of Neurologists in the United States (727)

Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine the geographic distribution of board-certified neurologists in the United States and identify underserved areas. Background: Each year there is a growing demand for neurological care in the United States. However, there is a large disparity in access to neurology providers across the country, primarily in rural areas. The most recent analysis of geographic distribution of neurologists was performed in 1985 and was only evaluated in New Jersey. Design/Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed using databases provided by the Center for Medicare Services. Provider information was compiled and filtered by specialty and National Provider Identifier (NPI), which is a unique 10 digit identification number issued to health care providers. ZIP Codes provided by these databases were used to identify Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) codes provided by The United States Department of Agriculture, which were then used to identify each physician’s county. Then, population data by county was recorded using 2010 Census data. In addition, each county was assigned a Rural-Urban Continuum Code (RUCC), which were used to determine define metropolitan and rural areas. Results: Of the 15,063 neurologists identified, 14,209 (94.33%) were practicing in metropolitan areas while 785 (5.211%) were practicing in nonmetropolitan areas, and only 69 (0.458%) were practicing in rural areas. This data reveals a drastically uneven distribution of neurologists, with the majority practicing in more densely populated counties. Conclusions: Nearly all neurologists (94.33%) practice in urban metropolitan areas, while only 5.221% practice in nonmetropolitan areas, and 0.458% practice in rural areas, highlighting the maldistribution of neurologists in the U.S. As the field of neurology expands and the United States’ population continues to age, this disparity and need will continue to grow, especially in rural communities. Disclosure: Dr. Curtis has nothing to disclose. Dr. Elrahi has nothing to disclose. Dr. Bilello has nothing to disclose. Dr. Rai has nothing to disclose.