Workforce Analysis of Neurotologists in the United States

Objective: To analyze current ratio of neurotologists to the population and examine regional variation. Study Design: Population survey examining hospital referral regions (HRRs) as defined in the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care Project and location of members of the American Neurotology Society. Main Outcome Measure: Ratio of neurotologists to the population within designated HRRs. Results: The national estimate of practicing neurotologists per population in 2006 was 1:922664 persons. The ratio is not uniform across HRRs, indicating that referral patterns for neurotologic care are wider than the care for indicators used in designating HRRs. Distribution of specialists is closely correlated with population. Estimated procedures per population are stable or declining for lateral cranial base surgery, implying current or impending oversupply of neurotologists. Conclusion: The number of specialists in Neurotology likely exceeds projected needs. The current supply of trainees predicts this trend will continue for decades. Development and maintenance of lateral cranial base surgical skills will be difficult for some practitioners.