By Natalie Krebs – The pandemic was difficult for health workers. Many endured long hours, and the stresses on the nation’s health care system prompted more workers than usual to quit or retire.
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By Sue O’Connell – Mark Nay’s first client had lost the van she was living in and was struggling with substance use and medical conditions that had led to multiple emergency room visits. Nay helped her apply for Medicaid and food assistance and obtain copies of her birth certificate and other identification documents needed to apply for housing assistance.
By Arielle Zionts – Rural hospital leaders are questioning whether they can continue to afford to do business with Medicare Advantage companies, and some say the only way to maintain services and protect patients is to end their contracts with the private insurers.
By Daniel Chang – According to a Florida Department of Health report, doctor shortages affect all or part of nearly every county, but less populous counties, such as Gadsden, where Havana is located, have the fewest physicians per 10,000 residents.
A bipartisan group of 10 House members introduced a bill recently to stop the 2.83 percent cut in Medicare payments to physician practices this year while providing a 2 percent payment update, aiming to stabilize physician practices and protect patients’ access to care.
By Amy Maxmen – Keith Poulsen’s jaw dropped when farmers showed him images on their cellphones at the World Dairy Expo in Wisconsin in October. A livestock veterinarian at the University of Wisconsin, Poulsen had seen sick cows before, with their noses dripping and udders slack.
By Sarah Jane Tribble – Federal lawmakers face a year-end deadline to solidify or scuttle an array of covid-era payment changes for telehealth services that include allowing people to stay in their homes to see a doctor or therapist.
By Rae Ellen Bichell – As one of the nation’s more than 1,000 federally designated primary care shortage areas, Costilla County has many carrots to dangle in front of medical providers willing to practice there, including federal student loan repayments, bonus Medicare payments, and expedited visas for foreign clinicians.
By Arielle Zionts – Rural America has a shortage of health care providers. The Indian Health Service, which serves Indigenous patients in mostly rural areas, has also struggled to recruit and retain staff. Rural residents make up about 14% of the U.S. population but fewer than 5% of incoming medical students, according to a study of 2017 data.