Empty Waiting Rooms: Family Physicians, Some Specialists Face Financial Challenges From Huge Drop Off In Patient Loads
“The situation facing front-line physicians is dire,” three physician associations representing more than 260,000 doctors, wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, at the end of April. Other news on health workers reports on a bill that would forgive student loans.
The New York Times:
How Small Physician Practices Are Struggling To Survive During Coronavirus Pandemic
Autumn Road in Little Rock, Ark., is the type of doctor’s practice that has been around long enough to be treating the grandchildren of its eldest patients. For 50 years, the group has been seeing families like Kelli Rutledge’s. A technician for a nearby ophthalmology practice, she has been going to Autumn Road for two decades. The group’s four doctors and two nurse practitioners quickly adapted to the coronavirus pandemic, sharply cutting back clinic hours and switching to virtual visits to keep patients and staff safe. (Abelson, 5/5)
ABC News:
New Bill Would Forgive Medical School Debt For COVID-19 Health Workers
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., introduced a bill Tuesday to forgive student loan debt for health care workers treating patients on the COVID-19 front line, many of whom still owe hundreds of thousands of dollars from medical school. The legislation comes in response to doctors and nurses speaking out against hazard pay, a 50% bonus Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed the federal government give front-line workers for risking their lives during the pandemic. (Schumaker, 5/5)
