Development of the index of medical underservice.

A mathematical model was developed to predict experts' relative assessments of scarcity of personal health services. This model provides, quickly and inexpensively, estimates of the relative assessments experts would make of any area in the country, in the form of an Index of Medical Underservice. The index is being used by the Bureau of Community Health Services in the preliminary designation of medically underserved areas for the federal HMO program.