FRI520 Disparities In Available Surgeons And Specialty Physicians Providing Endocrine-related Health Care Coverage To Populations In South Texas And The Rio Grande Valley

Abstract Disclosure: V. Alia: None. E.W. Alvarado: None. E.M. Diaz: None. H. Reinhart: None. Introduction: The Rio Grande Valley and South Texas is home to some of the most medically underserved populations in the nation, with gaps in health care ranging from low rates of adequately insured individuals, to the amount of primary and specialty healthcare services available [1]. Populations living in these areas near the Texas-Mexico border have some of the highest incidence of metabolic and endocrine-related disease in the U.S., while paradoxically having a large deficit in endocrine-specialists available to meet the medical and surgical needs of the community [1,2,3]. Methodology: We analyzed data from the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis (NCHWA), as well as data from the Texas department of state health services (TDSHS) to determine current and projected endocrine-related healthcare coverage needs in South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) between 2013 to 2025 and 2018 to 2032 respectively [2,3]. Results: Analysis of the data provided by the NCHWA revealed that by 2025 the southern region of the U.S. is projected to have the largest shortage of full-time equivalent (FTE) surgical specialty physicians in the entire country with a deficit of 10,210 [3]. ​Additionally, data displaying critical-shortages provided by the TDSHS stated that in 2018 the percent demand met (PDM) for FTE endocrinologists in South Texas was only 76.6% with a projected decline to 65.7% by 2032 [2]. Noteworthy data from the TDSHS also stated that in 2018 the RGV specifically had a significant deficit in endocrinologists with a PDM of only 53.6%, while simultaneously having a projected increase to 66.4% by 2032 [2]. The TDSHS classified specialties in South Texas to be critically short when they are projected to have a deficit of ≥100 FTEs and <80% of the physician demand being met [2]. Conclusion: The collection of data analyzed led us to effectively identify significant disparities in endocrine-related healthcare coverage in the South Texas region, specifically the RGV. Additionally, new multidisciplinary healthcare institutions built in the RGV are striving to improve patient access to primary and subspecialty care by recruiting and training physicians in the area, but further action is still needed to counteract the described critical-shortages in physicians responsible for the long-term management of endocrine-related diseases. Presentation: Friday, June 16, 2023