Florida Primary Care Underfunded
The 2026 Primary Care Scorecard shows continued underinvestment and chronic workforce strain within Florida's primary care system. The report highlights systemic challenges that contribute to staffing shortages across the state's healthcare ecosystem. These shortages are also evident in specialist fields, with recent locum tenens postings for interventional cardiology and family medicine.
- The radiologist shortage is intensifying due to a mismatch between the rising demand for imaging studies and the number of radiologists entering the workforce. Projections indicate a significant deficit in practicing radiologists compared to the escalating demand, driven by an aging population and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases. This imbalance leads to increased workloads, with the average number of studies per radiologist nearly doubling between 2008 and 2018. - To mitigate staffing shortages, health systems are increasingly forming strategic partnerships and joint ventures to create regional imaging networks. These collaborations aim to improve negotiating leverage with commercial payors and provide more cost-effective imaging services as patient price sensitivity grows. This trend is also fueled by the need to manage the estimated 20% to 50% of radiology exams that are considered unnecessary. - Payor policies are accelerating the shift of imaging services from hospital outpatient departments to lower-cost freestanding imaging centers. Major insurers have implemented restrictions on MRIs and CTs performed in hospital-based settings to direct patients toward more affordable options. In response, hospitals are developing strategies that include acquiring or partnering with freestanding centers. - The consolidation of outpatient imaging centers is a significant trend, with health systems, large multi-site operators, and private equity firms actively acquiring smaller, independent centers. This consolidation is driven by reimbursement cuts, the need for greater operational scale, and the shift toward value-based payment models. - The market for mobile medical imaging services is expanding as a way to increase access and provide more cost-effective diagnostic solutions. The global mobile medical imaging service market was valued at USD 3.8 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 7.2 billion by 2034. One of the largest providers, Akumin, partners with over 800 hospitals and health systems. - Artificial intelligence is being rapidly adopted in radiology to improve efficiency and address workforce shortages. As of early 2026, the FDA has cleared over 1,000 AI-powered tools for clinical imaging, representing nearly 80% of all authorized AI medical devices. These tools assist with workflow triage, image interpretation, and automating administrative tasks. - Florida is projected to face a shortage of nearly 18,000 physicians by 2035, a situation exacerbated by a growing and aging population. While 98% of direct patient care doctors in Florida work in urban counties, the state has 1.2 million rural residents who face significant gaps in care. - To address the physician shortage, Florida lawmakers have passed the "Live Healthy" legislation, which includes initiatives for loan forgiveness for healthcare workers who practice in underserved areas and aims to increase the number of medical residency slots within the state.
