The Fort Wayne market would need 40 more primary care providers to equal the state's average provider-to-patient ratio, an Indiana University Health official said Friday.
That unmet need helped persuade IU Health officials to enter the market before local physicians launched a failed attempt to acquire Lutheran Health Network from parent company Community Health Systems about 11/2 years ago, Ron Stiver said during an interview.
Stiver, IU Health's System Clinical Services president, said the doctors' dissatisfaction didn't prompt his employer to look at Fort Wayne. The Summit City had been on IU Health's radar for years, he said, but officials chose to integrate existing services before expanding its footprint.
“There's not a magic formula,” he said about choosing new markets. “You're looking at size and population.”
Establishing primary care offices is the Indianapolis-based health care provider's first step for Fort Wayne.
The first location is on pace to open in late summer at 7230 Engle Road, said Stiver, who visited the site on Thursday. The office, which is in leased space, will have room for up to 20 providers.
IU Health plans to hire physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners from across the state, not just from local ranks, he said. It's too soon to estimate how many jobs will be created, an IU Health spokeswoman said.