Expanding the US medical workforce: global perspectives and parallels.

The article presents the author's opinions on a paper from the American Association of Medical Colleges which argued that a shortage of physicians is looming in the U.S. and called for an urgent and immediate expansion of U.S. medical students by 30%. Arguments are presented which suggest that U.S. data does not show a clear positive relation between more providers and better medical outcomes and that many countries and health maintenance organizations provide superior care with fewer doctors per person than the current U.S. national ratio.