Current State of Florida's Otolaryngology Workforce

We aim to provide a detailed analysis of the otolaryngology workforce in Florida to help inform future initiatives to improve access to care.

We performed a cross-sectional database analysis using the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Florida Society of Otolaryngology databases to collect practice data from otolaryngologists actively practicing in Florida. The 2023 Rural-Urban Continuum Codes were used for county population data and to categorize metropolitan (codes 1-3) and non-metropolitan counties (codes 4-9).

There were 605 otolaryngologists across 67 counties (45 metropolitan, 22 non-metropolitan). They were 82.1% male, 38.5% fellowship-trained, and 91.6% held an M.D. degree. The most common fellowships were facial plastics (27.5%), head and neck (23.2%), pediatric otolaryngology (18.5%), and neurotology (14.6%). The most common states for residency training were Florida (20.0%), New York (12.1%), and Pennsylvania (7.4%). Metropolitan counties (20.8 million people) had 600 otolaryngologists, with an average of 2.87 otolaryngologists per 100,000 people (/100 k). Most were in counties designated by code 1 (n = 401, 66.3%). Non-metropolitan counties (658 k people) had 5 otolaryngologists, with an average of 0.76/100 k. A total of 25 counties (7 metropolitan, 18 non-metropolitan) lacked an otolaryngologist. Academic settings accounted for 11.6% of otolaryngology practices.

There is a significant lack of otolaryngologists in Florida's non-metropolitan counties, with important implications for timely access to specialized otolaryngology care. Our analysis unveils the critical need for more comprehensive workforce data collection to effectively inform strategies for addressing these disparities.