A Census of Actively Licensed Physicians in the United States, 2014

Abstract

Marked changes have occurred in health care delivery in the United States with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including the advancement of integrated health systems, the introduction of patient centered medical homes and the creation of accountable care organizations. With millions of Americans newly insured, never has there been a more pressing need for accurate physician workforce information and planning. Opinions vary about the nature and degree of anticipated physician shortages, and health care workforce determinations are fraught with variables and uncertainties that are challenging to address definitively. Identifying accurate information about the nation's currently licensed physician workforce, however, is an important starting point. This article reviews data received in 2014 by the Federation of State Medical Boards from the nation's state medical and osteopathic boards about the current supply of actively licensed physicians in the United States and the District of Columbia. Our census data demonstrates the total population of licensed physicians (916,264) has increased by 4% since 2012, and the nation, on average, added 12,168 more licensed physicians annually than it lost. The average physician is now older (by a year), predominantly male (but increasingly female at entry level) and increasingly a graduate of a medical school in the Caribbean. Meanwhile, the percentage of physicians with a single state medical license has remained constant at 79%.