by Guest Author | Jul 10, 2019
These fact sheets present detailed information on each of Indiana’s 92 counties. Information is provided on population and health system characteristics for each county which is critical to Indiana’s health system for planning and policy development. For each county, population characteristics such as age, race, economic indicators, health status, and education attainment were reported. Health system characteristics were also reported. Health workforce supply, healthcare facilities, and health professions shortages were used to estimate access to health care for each county. Data in each fact sheet provide stakeholders with information needed to improve the quality and accessibility of health care for Indiana residents through policy making, workforce development, and resource allocation. Additionally, fact sheets may be useful to local organizations seeking information for grant proposals or program implementation.
by Guest Author | Jul 10, 2019
Primary care clinicians are a critical segment of the health care workforce in Indiana. The Institute of Medicine defined primary care as “the provision of integrated, accessible health care services by clinicians who are accountable for addressing a large majority of personal health care needs, developing a sustained partnership with patients, and practicing in the context of family and community.” 1 For this report, a physician was considered a “primary care physician” if their specialty was one of the following: family medicine, general internal medicine, general practice, internal medicine – pediatrics, and general pediatrics. In addition to these physician specialties, physician assistants and nurse practitioners who also provide primary care and are included in this report as part of the group considered to be primary care clinicians. The purpose of this report is to describe the current state of the primary care clinician workforce in Indiana, their demographic characteristics, practice setting, and geographical locations. The geographical locations are presented in different ways for the various stakeholders. The information presented in this report may be useful for projecting future needs given the current number of providers and proportion nearing retirement as well as the geographical areas where special attention may be needed to insure residents have adequate access to primary care clinicians in the future.
by Guest Author | Jul 10, 2019
Assuring that mental health services are available and accessible for all Hoosiers that need them is important to reduce related morbidity and mortality and improve mental health. At the community-level, the availability of mental health services is largely based upon the supply and distribution of the workforce that delivers mental health services. Indiana’s licensed mental health workforce is comprised of psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, and a number of mental health professionals. A number of important issues emerge from recent data on the supply and distribution of this workforce. These issues, described throughout the document and outlined below, have been organized for the purpose of informing the agenda for mental health workforce policy in the State of Indiana. These issues emerged in objective consideration of workforce data and do not take into account perspectives of any one profession or stakeholder group.
by Guest Author | Jul 10, 2019
The healthcare workforce represents the intersection of medical science, health care delivery, and patient health. Therefore ensuring an adequate supply of this workforce is critical to ensuring access to health care services across the population. Unfortunately, across the United States, including Indiana, an inequitable distribution of the health workforce threatens access and health. In order to secure the health and well-being of Hoosiers, health policy discussions focused on health care must consider the health workforce as part of the agenda. The physician workforce may be regarded as the “backbone” of the healthcare system. Based on their extensive training, physicians are positioned as leaders within the health system. Therefore, information on the supply and distribution of Indiana’s physician workforce is critical to informing any health workforce policy or planning efforts. This policy report provides a ‘snapshot’ from the most recent data on Indiana’s physician workforce, and presents information pertinent to workforce planning and policy in Indiana. Comprehensive data are available in the Data Report: 2013 Indiana Physician Workforce.
by Guest Author | Jul 10, 2019
Indiana’s physician workforce is comprised of many skilled health care providers that work in a range of settings and specialties. Information on the supply and distribution of this workforce are critical to Indiana’s health system for planning and policy development. Supply data on Indiana’s physician workforce are routinely collected in the form of surveys administered in conjunction with the biennial medical license renewal process. As of the 2013, 25, 800 physicians were licensed to practice in the State of Indiana. Of these, 9,460 physicians indicated a n Indiana practice address , of which 2 ,939 reported a primary care specialty as defined by the Health Resource s and Service s Administration (HRSA) at Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), including: general or family practice, general internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology. Practice characteristics and geographic distribution of this workforce are critical to determining capacity at the community level. The majority of Indiana physicians reported having only one practice location in Indiana and indicated that they worked at least 33 hours per week in direct patient care. Approximately one – third of physicians reported working with an advanced practice nurse (APN), but very few worked with physician assistants. The physician workforce, including primary care, is concentrated in populous, urban areas. In fact there are two rural Indiana counties, Benton and Switzerland, in which no physician reported practicing. Currently, all or parts of 63 counties are designated as primary care health professional shortage areas (HPSAs). However, 11 Indiana Counties not currently designated qualify as a geographic HPSA based population to primary care physician ratio as calculated with the most recent supply data. This report presents detailed information on Indiana’s physician workforce. This includes information on the demographic and practice characteristics of the workforce, supply data aggregated to the county – level, and federal shortage designations. These data provide stakeholders with information needed to improve the quality and accessibility of health care for Indiana residents through policymaking, workforce development, and resource allocation.
