Manatee County Medical Complex Finds Large Gaps in Primary Care Physician Coverage

BRADENTON, Fla., July 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Health Park East, a medical campus located in the Lakewood Ranch, I-75 corridor of Manatee County, Florida, recently engaged a third party research firm to perform a local study within five connected zip codes including Lakewood Ranch (34202, 34203, 34208, 34211 and 34243) representing a radius of about five miles from 50th Street East and SR 70 in Bradenton. The study revealed a shortfall of 51 primary care doctors, or 55% fewer than the 92 needed.

According to Intellimed, a national company that provides statistical data and support to the healthcare industry, the national average of primary care doctors is one family doctor for every 2,112 people and one internal medicine doctor for every 3,166 people.

James Doulgeris, Senior Health Care Strategist for HCP, the Tampa-based Research and Marketing firm that performed the study, said, "A 55% shortfall in primary care physicians for a population of almost 117,000 is a real public health concern; particularly because the Affordable Care Act recently upheld by the US Supreme Court makes primary care physicians the keystone of people's medical care."

Since the study area was expanded to include Lakewood Ranch and accounts for the hospital and concentration of physicians there, the case for a key physician shortage in eastern Manatee County and northeastern Sarasota County is conclusive. The study also identified that the area is short in eight core specialties including orthopedic surgeons and cardiologists.

Jody Baden, Health Park East's Managing Partner said, "We commissioned this study to identify how we can best serve the health care needs of our community. The good news for our eastern Manatee/northern Sarasota community is that medical space in established medical centers like ours is available, and that medical groups can expand to meet the needs of our community without diluting their existing patient rosters."

Health Park East is currently home to Healthcare America primary care and walk-in clinic, LabCorp, the Park's innovative healthy lifestyle institute including a teaching kitchen and a 10,000 square foot physical therapy and rehabilitation center with a large indoor swimming pool.  The park is located one exit north of the border of Sarasota and Manatee counties at 6040 53rd Avenue East on SR 70, 1.5 miles west of I-75.

SOURCE HCP