LICENSED HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS
An important aspect of the health care system is the number of licensed
health care professionals available to provide health care in the Metropolitan
Statistical Area (MSA). The availability of health care professionals varies
widely by county and within counties by zip code. The population sizes used
here are different from the population sizes used previously.
While there are sufficient health care providers in the overall area, four
counties (Bastrop, Blanco, Caldwell, and Lee) in the Capital area are designated
as having an acute shortage of health care personnel by the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services (HHS). This program recognizes shortages of
three professions: primary medical care M.D.s and D.O.s, and dental and mental
health professionals. The Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designation
is utilized for some provider incentive programs and is designed to assist
facilities located within or who serve residents in a HPSA in recruiting
and retaining primary care providers. The HHS considers a population to physician
ratio of 3500:1 a shortage (Health Professional Resource Center, September
2000).
In 1999, the Board of Medical Examiners database indicated that there are
658 primary care physicians practicing in Travis County. This translates
into a population to primary care physician ratio of 984:1. This is an extremely
low ratio but still within the federal guidelines. In areas where the entire
county does not qualify as a HPSA, subgroups and sub-county areas experiencing
shortages of health practitioners can be designated. Subgroups or specific
portions of the population can qualify based on unique access barriers. In
Travis County, the Dove Springs neighborhood has two census tracks designated
as HPSA, East Austin has twelve census tracts designated as HPSA, and South
Austin has four census tracks designated as HPSA (Health Professional Resource
Center, September 2000).
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