Fayetteville, N.C., Patient-To-Doctor Ratio Raises ‘Red Flag’

The number of patients for every primary care doctor in Fayetteville, N.C., rose 4% from 1998 to 2001, receiving a "red flag" from a recent report issued by the city's Chamber of Commerce, the Fayetteville Observer reports. The annual MetroVisions report examines a series of "community indicators," issuing "gold stars" in areas of progress and red flags for problem areas. From 1990 to 2000, there was a 40% drop in the number of patients per primary care doctor, the report notes. Although the recent increase in patients is relatively small, it should be monitored, Ernie Johnson, chair of MetroVisions, said, adding, "It's more a red flag as a cautionary measure." The city "struggles" to provide health services to the poor, and the federal government has labeled the county as a "health professional shortage area," Mark Snuggs, a data analyst for the state's Office of Research Demonstrations & Rural Health Development, said. He added, "People without money have to have access where they are not turned away based on the ability to pay" (Washington, Fayetteville Observer, 5/12).