Find fresh health care provider data

We’ve updated data on measures of health that reveal the number of primary care physicians and other medical providers, dentists and mental health providers per county. The data come from several sources, including the American Medical Association Physician Masterfiles and the Center for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) National Provider Identifier File.

Health care requires financial coverage and access to qualified providers, which vary by state, race, ethnicity, rurality and income. Our model of health acknowledges the role that community conditions—including health infrastructure, such as clinical care—play in shaping health.

Clinical care refers to any activity related to direct medical treatment or testing and is provided by trained or licensed health professionals in hospital or clinical settings. High-quality clinical care is accessible, timely, safe, effective and affordable. Clinical care should also respect and value the unique cultural beliefs, practices and values of patients. Access to it can protect and improve physical, social and mental health.

Among the updated measures, users can investigate the ratio of providers to a given population, including the number of: 

• Primary care physicians. These doctors are essential for preventive and primary care along with referrals to specialty care;
• Other non-physician primary care providers. Other professionals can serve as sources of routine, preventive care, including nurse practitioners, physician assistants and clinical nurse specialists;
• Dentists. Untreated dental disease can lead to serious health effects, including pain, infection, and tooth loss; and,
• Mental health providers. More than 122 million people live in a mental health professional shortage area as of December 2024.

As part of our ongoing commitment to health equity, we’ve introduced a critical new step in our processing of provider data. We’re now utilizing geospatial tools to identify and correct inaccuracies in provider location information in the CMS National Provider Identifier File, which would cause mental health and other non-physician primary care providers to be incorrectly counted in a county. Because the federal government uses population-to-provider ratios to determine Health Professional Shortage Areas, even small gains in data accuracy can have a significant impact. This is especially important for rural counties with fewer providers and smaller populations, where these data can open the door for critical resources. Our behind-the-scenes work to improve the precision of publicly available data helps to ensure resources are directed where they are needed most and brings real-world implications for health equity.

Users can visit our county snapshots to explore the provider-related data for the communities in which they live and work. They can also learn about evidence in our What Works for Health database. These include: 

• Financial incentives for health professionals serving underserved areas
• J-1 physician visa waivers
• Allied dental professional scope of practice
• Rural training in medical education

We aim to release a second data update before the end of the year. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest information.