The Office for Healthcare Workforce Analysis and Planning in
the South Carolina AHEC Program Office has released a data brief showcasing work
done in collaboration with the South Carolina Office of Primary Care to
identify naturally occurring primary care service areas in the state. Primary care service areas (PCSAs) are small
geographic areas that are relatively self-contained markets for primary care
services. The 95 PCSAs identified in the study were developed using de-personalized
2013 billing data from the South Carolina State Employee Health Plan to
identify patient travel patterns for primary care services. Patient ZIP codes were matched with primary
care provider ZIP codes to form the basis of the geographic service areas.
An interactive map is available as part of the data brief.
Users can find the name of their local PCSA based on their ZIP code and click
on that area in the map to learn about local population characteristics, selected
health status measures in their community, and the availability of primary care
providers.
To access this publication, visit the OHW home page and
click on the map in the Fast Facts
section.