Whether you’re a newly minted resident, or you’ve been practicing medicine for some time, you may be thinking of pulling up stakes and moving to a different of the country.

If so, here are some articles regarding the “best” places to practice medicine today. They may be able to help you choose your new location.

Texas is a great place to live and work as a physician, according to an article posted in October 2010 on the Soliant Health network website. The article touts Houston, San Antonio and Huntsville. In fact the article reports that Medical Economics magazine names Texas as the best state in America in which to practice medicine because of “the absence of a state income tax, great compensation, low real estate costs, and tort reform in 2003 that ‘makes Texas a leader in low cost malpractice liability insurance despite being the second-most populous state in the nation.’”

ModernMedicine.com took the question where the best places to practice medicine in the U.S. today are in a more economic-oriented fashion. In a July 2009 article “America’s Best Places to Practice,” the website “evaluated a number of factors: overall compensation, malpractice liability insurance rates, cost of doing business, health insurance competition, and the mix of public and commercial payers. We also considered quality-of-life factors such as residential real estate prices, natural amenities, and weather.”

The site’s findings? What are the top 10 places to practice today?

Number 10 might surprise you: Alaska!

“Why doctors love it here: If the mere thought of Alaska makes you shiver,” the article stated,  “you may be in for a surprise: Even northern climes break 70 degrees during the summer, and two of Alaska’s largest cities—Anchorage and Juneau—have predictable seasonal changes. Also, hospitals and groups are offering bonuses up to $50,000 to primary care doctors who relocate.”

The article goes on to report that average compensation for a primary care physician in 2009  was $310,000.

The fifth best place to practice was New Hampshire. Why?

“Why doctors love it here: With high taxes, high costs of managed care, and high malpractice premiums in Massachusetts, New England earns a bad rap as a challenging place to practice. New Hampshire, on the other hand, has a 1 percent state income tax, low malpractice rates, and a diverse commercial payer mix that keeps reimbursements competitive. The Granite State also boasts classic New England beauty and more affordable housing in most areas than you’d find in Connecticut or Rhode Island.”

As for annual compensation for primary care physicians: about $157,000.

And what was the best place to practice medicine, according to the article?

TEXAS!

“Why doctors love it here: The Lone Star State offers the best of all worlds for physicians: a variety of cities with excellent medical centers, no state income tax, great compensation, and low real estate costs—an average single-family home in the Dallas-Fort Worth area sold for $135,700 in the first quarter of this year. Tort reform in 2003 makes Texas a leader in low-cost malpractice liability insurance despite being the second-most-populous state in the nation. Texas’s median annual malpractice liability insurance rate is $16,655 (compare to $21,052 in New York and $32,328 in Florida).”

As for compensation, the article reports that primary care physicians could expect an average compensation package of $197,000.

If you’d like more information about opportunities in some of the “best places to practice” in the U.S., contact a recruiter at Integrity Healthcare. We look forward to hearing from you!