Geographic disparities in the adequacy of the physical medicine and rehabilitation physician workforce across the United States.

Abstract

There is a paucity of contemporary studies assessing the supply, demand, and adequacy of the physical medicine and rehabilitation (PMR) physician workforce in the United States. We hypothesized that geographic disparities in the adequacy of the PMR physician workforce would exist across the United States especially in nonmetropolitan areas. The Health Workforce Simulation Model from the Health Resources and Services Administration was used to analyze U.S. federal government projections in the supply, demand, and adequacy of PMR physicians from 2025 to 2037. Adequacy was defined as the ratio of supply over demand and linear regression was used to analyze physician workforce trends. By 2037, PMR physician adequacy was projected to be lowest in nonmetropolitan areas compared to metropolitan areas (39.0% vs. 98.1%, p < .001). Additionally, PMR physician adequacy was projected to be lowest in the South (77.2%) followed by the West (92.1%), Midwest (97.2%), and Northeast (123%) (p < .001). By 2037, the states with the lowest projected PMR physician adequacy were Rhode Island (33.3%), Mississippi (40.0%), and West Virginia (42.9%). PMR ranked 16th for physician adequacy in 2025 compared with 20 other specialties. This study highlighted geographic disparities in the adequacy of the PMR workforce, especially in nonmetropolitan areas, the South, and certain U.S. states. Future work is needed to implement strategies that improve PMR physician adequacy in geographies with identified inadequacies.