The Nation : Less Need for Doctors Seen

Health maintenance organizations and new health care programs will cut the number of physicians needed in the United States in half by 1990, a Johns Hopkins University study released in Baltimore said. The study said earlier projections by the federal government and medical groups overestimated the need for doctors by as much as 50%. “Because of the staffing patterns and the differing styles of providing care, HMOs need fewer physicians than conventional care sites,” said Donald Steinwachs, director of the study.