Florida has a doctor shortage. Previous estimates pegged the number of doctors practicing in the state at 50-thousand. But the number is actually closer to 34-thousand, according to a new study. Medical professionals point to high malpractice insurance one reason why Florida isn’t doctor-friendly.

Grace Williams divides her time among California, Washington state and Florida. She sees a doctor every other month… but she often has to wait longer in Florida for test results… and the offices don’t call her.

“If you have to get a CAT scan or a PET scan. Those are the doctors you don’t get to communicate with. The special doctors.”

A study from Florida State University found 16-thousand fewer doctors practicing medicine than previously thought. But that’s not all. The average age of a Florida doctor is 51… and a quarter of physicians are older than 60.

Doctors consider medical malpractice insurance rates when deciding where to practice. For most specialties, Florida physicians pay higher premiums than the national average.

But Florida State’s Dr. Robert Brooks points to medical schools planned in Orlando and Miami as one positive sign.

“Actually training students here in the state of Florida, such as at FSU College of Medicine, is likely to increase the number of doctors who will be available in coming years.”

The medical schools are a long-term solution, because students won’t be practicing medicine for about a decade. In the short-term, the Florida Hospital Association says the state can’t just find more doctors, nurses and other care providers… it needs to keep them working instead of retiring.

“We’ve relied on our weather to attract them after they’ve been trained in other states. That’s no longer working.”

The doctor shortage will get worse before it gets better. Florida has more than 18-million people… and the population is growing by 300-thousand each year.

The Florida State University study also found that 13 percent of Florida's doctors plan to leave or significantly reduce their practice within the next five years.