Geographic distribution of physician manpower: the GMENAC (Graduate Medical Education National Advisory Committee) legacy.

The Graduate Medical Education National Advisory Committee (GMENAC) projected the need for and supply of physicians and other providers, recommended time and access standards for health care services, and developed guidelines for the geographic distribution of physicians. Since this study, analysts have given scant attention to national problems of physician geographic distribution. The issue deserves additional scrutiny in light of the current continuing problems of underservice in rural areas. The emergence of geographic information systems offers a unique opportunity to acquire data on provider distribution and provide a framework for developing and testing redistribution policy.