Is Florida a good state to work locum tenens?
Let’s look at important data points:
Number of licensed physicians
80,011
Physicians Per 100K population
376 (below average)
Number of hospitals
218
Cost of physician license
$929 plus NICA fees (see below)
Licensing timeframe
8-10 Weeks
Malpractice risk
High
Noneconomic damage cap?
Yes, capped at $500K ($1M in case of death or vegetative state)
State income tax
(highest bracket)
0% (ZERO)
Florida is a populous state with a high number of hospitals.
Medical licensing is expensive. The licensing fee is $929. On top of that, every physician is paying to the NICA (Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Association) fund, which is $5000/year for Ob/Gyn and $250/year for all other specialties.
From a liability perspective, Florida physicians are at high risk despite the state having a cap on noneconomic damage of $500K. The cap increases to $1M in cases of death or an injury leading to a permanent vegetative state.
On a plus side, the state has no income tax and physician supply is on the lower end of the spectrum.
