The floating catchment area (FCA) family of metrics employ principles from gravity-based
models to incorporate supply, demand, and distance in their characterization of the spatial
accessibility of health care resources. Unlike traditional gravity models, the FCA metrics
provide an output in highly interpretable container-like units (eg, physicians per person).
This work explores two significant issues related to FCA metrics. First, the Three Step
Floating Catchment Area is critically examined. Next, the research shows that all FCA …