A newly released report by the University of West Florida's Haas Center for Business Research & Economic Development predicts that 190,000 new and related jobs in the biomedical and defense industries will be created in Florida by 2018. Access MediQuip's recent decision to expand its operations in Lake Mary takes Orlando one step closer to that goal.
Access MediQuip LLC, a $200 million health care firm based in Houston, provides medical implant outsourcing to support surgery centers. The company's specialized and technology-driven services assist manufacturers, payors and providers to manage the acquisition, financing delivery and reimbursement of orthopedic and spinal implants, drug pumps and other medical devices.
Last month, Access moved its 18 Central Florida employees into just under 13,000 sq. ft. in Primera in Lake Mary. That is just the first step. Plans are to grow to a 26,000 sq. ft facility and add 145 new jobs within three years. That translates into over $2.5 million in new capital investment and jobs that pay an average of $60,000 annually.
Other signs of success in Metro Orlando's emerging medical industries include:
- The University of Central Florida's College of Medicine was featured on NBC Nightly News. Click here to watch.
- Orlando was ranked as a top medical meetings destination by the Healthcare Convention and Exhibitors Association's 2009 State of the Industry Report. Orlando has been the top healthcare meeting location for the last 12 years.
- AARP The Magazine, the voice for Americans age 50 and better and the world's largest circulation magazine, named Orlando Regional Medical Center and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Orlando among the leading hospitals in America. Click here to read.
- Nemours received full accreditation for its human research protection program from the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs, Inc. This recognition places Nemours among the top research institutions in the United States. A few weeks ago, Nemours Childrens Hospital broke ground in Lake Nona's 'medical city' with plans for completion in 2012.
