121 Copyright © 2013, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. Chapter 8 DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-2979-0.ch008 INTRODUCTION Shortage of physicians in underserved areas creates unmet demands for health services. These unmet demands are aggravated by an aging population (Glasgow 2000; Ziembroski 2006). To identify these underserved areas, researchers have utilized large-scale data in various ways. For example, using data from the National Center for Health Statistics, the Kaiser Family Foundation has shown that physicians in patient care per 10,000 ranged from 17.0 to 65.9 across the fifty states in the U.S. in 2008 (The Kaiser Family Foundation 2008). BACKGROUND While demands for health services may not be reduced easily, it is possible to increase the avail- ability of health services by utilizing new medical Ricky C. Leung University of Missouri School of Medicine, USA Telemedicine Utilization, Availability of Physicians, Distance, and Urbanity: An Exploratory Study ABSTRACT This study examines the relationship between telemedicine utilization, the availability of physicians, the level of urbanity of a locality, and the physical distance between a locality and an urban health facility at the county level within a rural state in the United States. As an exploratory study, the author conducts correlation analysis and analysis of variance to test if the chosen exploratory variables may account for variations in telemedicine utilization. The author obtained statistically signifcant results, but recognizes that there are other potential variables to be included in further studies. The results are useful for practitioners and may motivate further studies. The chapter discusses the implications of the study in its conclusion.