Indicator: 59 - Health Care Providers

 

Why This Is Important

If a community is to meet the needs of its children and families, it must be able to sustain an
adequate health care system. An important indicator of that is how many providers are
present in a community.

 

 

Where We Stand

When physicians apply for relicensure to the State’s Board of Licensure in Medicine
(which licenses allopaths/MDs) and Board for Osteopathic Licensure (which licenses
osteopaths/DOs), a survey is periodically enclosed and returned on a voluntary basis by
the licensee. Returns from that survey indicated that the number of pediatricians, family
practitioners, and general practitioners in the state fell somewhat between 1998 and 2000,
as did the rate per 1,000 children aged 0-17. Both indicators rose again in year 2002. Over
95% of the MDs and DOs returned the surveys in each year, but the fact that not everyone
did so means that the numbers for the two years are not exactly comparable.

 

Data Sources and Context

Data is from the Maine Cooperative Health Manpower Resource Inventory, Office of Data,
Research and Vital Statistics, Maine Department of Health and Human Services, as reported
in the 2001, 2003 and 2005 Maine Kids Count Data Books. The 2005 Data Book is available
on-line at http://www.mekids.org.