A Medical Service Area Map of the United States

For the first time, a medical service area map of the United States is presented. The maps of the eastern and western sections of the United States resemble a jigsaw puzzle because the areas vary so much in shape and size. (The two maps overlap slightly on the eastern edge of the western half and the western edge of the eastern half.) The areas are somewhat larger west of the Mississippi River. The boundaries of only a few of these areas coincide with the boundary of a county, and even in these few cases for a stretch of only a few miles. There are 757 areas, 1 of which 212 areas straddle the boundaries of two or more states; the other 545 are intrastate areas. The areas are mutually exclusive and cover every square mile of land and every home in the United States. There are physicians in each area