MAGNET FOR MEDICINE
MAGNET
FOR
MEDICINE
PHYSICIANS ATTRACTED TO NORTH TEXAS
North Texas is a rapidly growing region.
According to Profile of North Texas 2018, a
publication of the North Texas Commission,
the 13-county region adds one person every
3.6 minutes. That’s 16 people an hour, 401
people a day, 2,812 a week – all of whom
need medical care, and many of whom are
physicians themselves. Why is that? What
draws medical professionals to this area, and,
most importantly, what keeps them here?
North Texas is an attractive mix of economy,
people, education, communities and medical
innovation that put the area at the top of
many physicians’ location list.
THE DOCTOR IS IN...NORTH TEXAS
According to the Texas State Medical Board, there
were 77,034 actively licensed physicians in Texas as of
January 2018. More than 22 percent of these physicians
– 17,431 – practice in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. It starts
at the beginning of their careers, notes W. Stephen Love,
president and CEO of the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital
Council, a trade organization of 90 area hospitals.
“North Texas has been blessed with good medical
schools, and physicians want to go to good medical
schools,” Love explains. “Many people don’t realize that
physicians often set up their permanent practice close to
where they do their residencies. So, we strive to have as
many resident spots as possible to retain them.”
In its second annual Physician Compensation Report,
physician network Doximity named the North Texas area
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as a financially favorable place to practice medicine. In
fact, it ranked eighth highest among the 65,000 licensed
U.S. physicians whose compensation figured into the
report and was the only Texas market to make the top
10. Doximity reported that physicians in this market
make, on average, $371,398 annually.
“There are multiple reasons
why North Texas is a great place
for physicians to practice,” said
Paul Hain, M.D., North Texas
market president for Blue Cross
and Blue Shield of Texas. “We
have a very thriving independent
physician
community,
which
is not true everywhere in the
country. Physicians value their Paul Hain, M.D.
independence and call the shots in their own business.
They like to pick the best place to refer admission of
their own patients and, here, they are able to do that.”
SPACE TO GROW A PRACTICE
The demographics in North Texas are also appealing
to many physicians, noted several local experts. A
growing economy means available healthcare dollars
and the infrastructure to support excellent delivery of
care. A $511 billion GDP for the region, which boasts a
diverse economy made up of industries including energy,
aviation, financial, real estate, technology, manufacturing
and logistics, just to name a few, means the North Texas
economy is a substantial and diverse one. A job growth
rate of 2.8 percent and a mantel as the fourth-fastest-
growing region in the U.S. paint a picture of an economy
keeping pace with its rapid growth. Within the healthcare
industry itself, 5,400 jobs are added each year and $52
billion is the gross spend on medical services. North
Texas has the dollars, and it’s willing to spend them.
“The demographics here in North Texas – when you look
at the growth and the economy, it’s very good,” Love
said. “It’s an excellent place for physicians to practice,
whether they are primary care or specialists.”
Walter Gaman, M.D., managing partner of Healthcare
Associates of Texas, is a Board Certified Family Physician
who uses a popular Texas expression when discussing his
history. “I’m not a native Texan – but I got here as fast as
I could,” he jokes, as he notes that his 31-year experience
in North Texas has proven it to be a good place to practice.
“Texas is a very satisfying place to practice medicine,”
Dr. Gaman explains. “For example, I’m a senior manager
of a large group. Many years ago, we decided to put
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