15 Miss. Code. R. 8-90-01-104.01
Mississippi had 5,688 active medical doctors, 533 osteopaths, and 67 podiatrists licensed by the Board of Medical Licensure for FY 2019 (licensing year 2020) for a total of 6,288 active licensed physicians practicing in the state. This number represents an increase of 69 physicians, or more than 1.02 percent, from FY 2018 (licensing year 2019).
Approximately 2,375 (42 percent) of the state's active medical doctors are primary care physicians, representing a ratio of one (1) primary care physician for every 1,303 persons, based on 2025 projected population. The primary care physicians included 758 family practitioners, 69 general practitioners, 741 internal medicine physicians, 317 obstetrical and gynecological physicians, and 490 pediatricians. Map 1-2 depicts the total number of primary care medical doctors by county.
According to the Health Resources and Services Administration's Division of Policy and Shortage Designation (HRSA/DPSD), Mississippi has a total of 149 primary care health professional shortage area (HPSA) designations. Seventy-nine (79) of the designations are single county designations. The United States Department of Health and Human Services defines a primary care HPSA as a geographic area that has a ratio in excess of 3,500 persons per primary care physician and insufficient access to those physicians within a 30-minute traveling radius. Also, areas with 3,000 to 3,500 persons per primary care physician that have unusually high needs for primary care services and have insufficient access to primary care doctors within a 30-minute traveling radius, can also be designated as a primary care HPSA.
15 Miss. Code. R. 8-90-01-104.01