The federal government has reported physician shortages in rural areas. A report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) indicates that medical residents were concentrated in the Northeast and in urban areas. Federal efforts to increase graduate medical education in rural areas and primary care were limited. In 2015, GAO recommended HHS develop a plan for its health care workforce programs, but it has yet to do so.
The report can be obtained at http://www.gao.gov/assets/690/684946.pdf.