Harris
Harris County has added 1,537 physicians since passage of the 2003 medical lawsuit reforms. This represents a 36% greater growth rate than pre-reform. During the past four years the growth in the physician workforce has outpaced population growth by 88%. The greater growth rate has produced the opportunity for 2,439,000 more patient visits per year and a direct economic impact of $379,400,000. New additions to the Harris County healthcare community include 153 family practice or family medicine physicians, 152 pediatricians, 134 internists and 127 anesthesiologists. Also new to the county are 89 emergency medicine physicians, 61 cardiologists, 58 pediatric specialists and 47 psychiatrists. Other notable gains include 45 oncologists, 41 hematologists, 40 gastroenterologists, 29 neurologists, 29 obstetricians and 22 orthopedic surgeons.
Dallas
Dallas County has added 966 physicians since passage of the 2003 medical lawsuit reforms. That represents a 23% greater growth rate than pre-reform. During the past four years the growth in the physician workforce has outpaced population growth by 721%. The greater growth rate has produced the opportunity for 1,084,500 more patient visits per year and a direct economic impact of $168,700,000. New additions to the Dallas County healthcare community include 160 anesthesiologists, 86 internists, 86 pediatric specialists, 81 pediatricians and 56 emergency medicine physicians. Also, new to the community are 37 psychiatrists, 35 oncologists, 29 kidney specialists, and 19 orthopedic surgeons. Dallas County has also added 16 diabetes specialists, 16 allergists, 15 rheumatologists, 12 cardiologists, and 12 plastic surgeons. Other notable gains include 10 infectious disease specialists, 8 geriatricians, and 6 transplant surgeons.
Bexar
Bexar County has added 680 physicians since passage of the 2003 medical lawsuit reforms. This represents a 55% greater growth rate than pre-reform. During the past four years the growth in the physician workforce has outpaced population growth by 72%. The greater growth rate has produced the opportunity for 1,300,500 more patient visits per year and a direct economic impact of $202,300,000. New additions to the Bexar County healthcare community include 86 internists, 72 anesthesiologists, 69 family medicine and family practice doctors and 39 emergency medicine physicians. Bexar County has added 27 pediatricians, 25 cardiologists, 21 oncologists, 21 neonatologists, 15 orthopedic surgeons and 15 gastroenterologists.
Tarrant
Tarrant County has added 403 physicians since passage of the 2003 medical lawsuit reforms. This represents a 6% greater growth rate than pre-reform. During the past four years the growth in the physician workforce has outpaced population growth by 205%. The greater growth rate has produced the opportunity for 319,500 more patient visits per year and a direct economic impact of $49,700,000. New additions to the Tarrant County healthcare community include 61 family medicine and family practice doctors, 41 emergency medicine physicians, 35 internists and 24 pediatricians. Tarrant County has also added 20 cardiologists, 19 orthopedic surgeons, 17 gastroenterologists, 16 oncologists, 16 psychiatrists and 15 obstetricians.
Rio Grande Valley
Since the passage of reforms, the Rio Grande Valley has added 189 physicians. The growth rate of the physician workforce in both Cameron and Hidalgo County have exceeded the state average.
Hidalgo
Hidalgo County has added 117 physicians since passage of the 2003 medical lawsuit reforms. During the past four years the growth in the physician workforce has outpaced population growth by 28%. The 117 new physicians have produced the opportunity for 526,500 more patient visits per year and a direct economic impact of $81,900,000. New additions to the Hidalgo County healthcare community include 21 family practice and family medicine physicians, 20 pediatricians, 9 internists and 9 obstetricians. Other additions include 8 gastroenterologists, 7 emergency medicine physicians, 6 oncologists, 5 general surgeons, 5 cardiologists, 4 kidney specialists and a neurosurgeon.
Cameron
Cameron County has added 72 physicians since passage of the 2003 medical lawsuit reforms. During the past four years the growth in the physician workforce has outpaced population growth by 110%. The 72 new physicians have produced the opportunity for 324,000 more patient visits per year and a direct economic impact of $50,400,000. New additions to the Cameron County healthcare community include 15 family practioners, 10 pediatricians, 9 internists and 8 anesthesiologists. Other additions to the Brownsville/Harlingen area include 4 cardiologists, 4 emergency medicine physicians, 3 obstetricians, 2 oncologists, 2 pediatric critical care specialists and 2 child neurologists.
El Paso
El Paso County has added 130 physicians since the passage of the 2003 reforms. This represents a 76% greater growth rate than pre-reform. The physician growth rate has far outpaced population growth which reverses the trend from four years earlier when the area’s physician growth rate was half the state average. The greater growth rate has produced the opportunity for 279,000 more patient visits per year and a direct economic impact of $43,400,000. New additions to the El Paso healthcare community include 22 pediatricians, 14 family practioners, 12 emergency medicine specialists, 11 internists and 11 anesthesiologists. Other additions include 7 cardiologists, 6 oncologists, 6 diabetes specialists, 4 orthopedic surgeons, 3 gastroenterologists, and 2 ear, nose and throat specialists.
Bell
Bell County has added 130 physicians since passage of the 2003 medical lawsuit reforms. This represents a 69% greater growth rate than pre-reform. During the past four years the growth in the physician workforce has outpaced population growth by 382%. The greater growth rate has produced the opportunity for 274,500 more patient visits per year and a direct economic impact of $42,700,000. New additions to the Bell County healthcare community include 29 emergency medicine physicians, 17 pediatricians and 12 radiologists. Bell County has also added 9 cardiologists, 9 general surgeons, 8 anesthesiologists and 7 orthopedic surgeons.
Denton
Denton County has added 111 physicians since passage of the 2003 medical lawsuit reforms. The growth rate in the physician workforce has actually slowed from the previous four years and lags behind the counties explosive population growth by 19%. The 111 new physicians have produced the opportunity for 499,500 more patient visits per year and a direct economic impact of $77,700,000. The Denton County healthcare community has added 24 family medicine and family practice doctors, 13 emergency medicine specialists, 9 radiologists and 9 orthopedic surgeons. New additions to Denton County also include 8 cardiologists, 7 ophthalmologists, 6 psychiatrists and 5 internists.
Lubbock
Lubbock County has added 62 physicians since passage of the 2003 medical lawsuit reforms. The growth rate in the physician workforce has actually slowed from the previous four years but has still managed to outpace population growth by 241%. The 62 new physicians have produced the opportunity for 279,000 more patient visits per year and a direct economic impact of $43,400,000. The Lubbock County healthcare community has added several hard-to-recruit specialists including 3 neurological surgeons, 3 orthopedic surgeons, 3 kidney specialists and 3 diabetic specialists. New additions also include 13 anesthesiologists, 12 family practioners, 6 emergency medicine specialists, six gastroenterologists and six radiologists.
Brazoria
Brazoria County has added 41 physicians since passage of the 2003 medical lawsuit reforms. That represents a 34% greater growth rate than pre-reform. During the past four years the growth in the physician workforce has outpaced population growth by 139%. The greater growth rate has produced the opportunity for 67,500 more patient visits per year and a direct economic impact of $10,500,000. New additions to the Brazoria County healthcare community include 12 family practioners, 8 pediatricians, 7 internists and two cardiologists. Other additions include 2 emergency medicine physicians, a general surgeon, a neurologist and a gastroenterologist.
Galveston
Galveston County has added 34 physicians since passage of the 2003 medical lawsuit reforms. The growth rate in the physician workforce has actually slowed from the previous four years and has been slightly eclipsed by population growth. The 34 new physicians have produced the opportunity for 153,000 more patient visits per year and a direct economic impact of $23,800,000. The Galveston County healthcare community has added 10 obstetricians, 7 family medicine and family practice physicians and 6 emergency medicine physicians. Other additions to Galveston County include 2 neurosurgeons, 2 geriatricians, 2 general surgeons and 2 general practioners.
Jefferson
Jefferson County has rebounded from a net loss of 5 physicians in the four years before reform to the addition of 27 physicians since passage of the 2003 medical lawsuit reforms. The growth rate in the physician workforce has outpaced population growth by 360%. The 27 new physicians have produced the opportunity for 121,500 more patient visits per year and a direct economic impact of $18,900,000. The Jefferson County healthcare community has added 15 emergency medicine specialists, 4 kidney specialists and three orthopedic surgeons. Other additions to Jefferson County include 3 neonatologists, a neurosurgeon and a critical care surgeon.
Taylor
Taylor County suffered a net loss of 18 physicians in the run-up to reform. They have since regained the 18 physicians that were lost. The growth in physician manpower has exceeded population growth by 62%. The 18 physicians new to the Abilene area have produced the opportunity for 81,000 patient visits and a direct economic impact of $12,600,000. The Taylor County healthcare community has added 4 emergency medicine specialists, 3 obstetricians, 2 cardiologists, 2 kidney specialists and 2 infectious disease specialists. Other additions include a hand surgeon, a general practioner and a family medicine physician.
Tom Green
Tom Green County has added 14 physicians since passage of the 2003 medical lawsuit reforms. While the gains have been modest they have far outpaced population growth which has been stagnant. The 14 new physicians have produced the opportunity for 63,000 patient visits and a direct economic impact of $9,800,000. The San Angelo area has added 2 child and adolescent psychiatrists, 2 gastroenterologists, a thoracic surgeon, a plastic surgeon, an oral surgeon and a neurosurgeon. Other additions include a family practioner, a neurologist, a cardiologist, an opthalmalogist, an ear, nose and throat specialist and an emergency medicine specialist.
Burnet
Burnet County has added 12 physicians since passage of the 2003 medical lawsuit reforms. The growth rate in the physician workforce has actually slowed from the previous four years but has still managed to outpace population growth by 230%. The greater growth rate has produced the opportunity for 9,000 more patient visits per year and a direct economic impact of $1,400,000. The Burnet County healthcare community has added 3 obstetricians, 3 internists and two emergency medicine specialists. Other additions include a cardiologist, a urologist, an urgent care specialist and a family practioner.
Source: Texas Medical Board, May Reports
