Two Florida hospital alliances will ask legislators in 2018 for $57 million in funding to help recruit physicians and offset charity care costs, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
The funding request follows a recent report from the two groups — the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida and the Teaching Hospital Council of Florida — which details the upcoming physician shortage in the state. The report cites a "severe shortage" of primary care physicians and warns about shortages in specialty areas such as urology, thoracic surgery, nephrology and ophthalmology.
"The shortage of doctors presents a threat to the health security of the state," said Steve Sonenreich, president and CEO of Miami Beach-based Mount Sinai Medical Center. "There are not enough doctors, and the threat is growing."
As a result of the report, the groups are hoping to secure funding from state and federal governments to mitigate the looming physician shortages. The groups will seek: $2 million for areas of the state where the supply of primary care physicians falls short of the demand; $5 million to retain residency slots in the four specialty areas expected to be in short supply; and $50 million to help the 13 designated teaching hospitals offset financial losses from charity care.
The safety net alliance and teaching hospital council will ask for the funds in the 2018-19 state budget.