Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Physician Shortages Hit Rural America; Many Michigan Nurses Want To Quit
CBS News: Doctor Shortages Distress Rural America, Where Few Residency Programs Exist
Anger, devastation, and concern for her patients washed over Bridget Martinez as she learned that her residency training program in rural northeastern Nevada would be shuttered. The doctor in training remembered telling one of her patients that, come July of this year, she would no longer be her physician. Martinez had been treating the patient for months at a local health care center for a variety of physical and psychiatric health issues. (Orozco and Rodriguez, 4/10)
Crain's Detroit Business: 40% Of Michigan Hospital Nurses Want To Quit: Survey
While Michigan hospitals had problems retaining nurses even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the situation grew much worse in the first two years of the public health crisis. That’s according to newly published survey data showing that from just prior to the pandemic to March 2022, the rate at which nurses planned to leave the profession rose sharply across Michigan. (Sanchez, 4/7)
Stat: 5 Tech Startups Trying To Solve Health Care's Staffing Crisis To Watch
Three years after the pandemic upended the health care workforce, hospital staffing is still a top concern for hospital administrators. Hospitals and nursing homes are competing for nurses after strikes across the country showed an empowered cadre of nurses fed up with high provider-to-patient ratios and stagnant wages. Meanwhile, health systems are navigating a dramatically altered workforce, as many nurses left behind full-time hospital roles for short-term contract and remote positions. (Castillo, 4/10)
In related news about staffing —
Modern Healthcare: Recent Layoffs Raise Questions On Industry's Job Outlook
Employment in the healthcare sector was up 3.8% year-over-year in the first quarter, according to preliminary data released Friday by the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics. In ambulatory care, employment increased 3.8%, and the number of people working in home health jumped 4.8%. Employment at hospitals increased by 3.3%, according to the data, which may be revised in the coming months. (Hudson, 4/7)
Modern Healthcare: Pear Therapeutics Files Chapter 11, Lays Off 170 Employees
Pear Therapeutics filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Friday and said it has eliminated most of its workforce. The filing, in bankruptcy court in Delaware, comes just three weeks after the digital therapeutics company, said it was exploring strategic alternatives and might need to restructure or fold if it did not find a financial lifeline. (Turner, 4/7)
Stat: UnitedHealth Acquires Another New York Physician Group
UnitedHealth Group has acquired Crystal Run Healthcare, a prominent physician group in New York. The deal for Crystal Run, a network of almost 400 doctors, nurse practitioners, and other clinicians, closed in late February. There was no fanfare. Neither company issued a press release. The deal only came to light from an email obtained by the Mid-Hudson News. (Herman, 4/10)
In other health care industry news —
Becker's Hospital Review: 'Health System' Is Out; Here's What Comes Next
Hospitals evolved into health systems over the last several years with multiple care sites and expanded focus on health and wellness. Millions of dollars were spent in rebranding and strategy to become "health systems." Now, the term is becoming obsolete. Health systems are so much more than care providers, with ancillary businesses such as retail pharmacy, venture capital investing, telehealth, hospital-at-home, and more. The best new term to describe evolving health systems hasn't been universally defined, but a few organizations have begun internally rebranding. (Dyrda, 4/7)
Bay Area News Group: Is Santa Clara County Planning A Big Hospital Purchase?
With difficult economic pressures and increased caseloads straining its ability to care for patients in the post-COVID era, Santa Clara County is considering expanding its healthcare system by purchasing another area hospital. (Greschler, 4/7)
Wyoming Public Radio: Faced With Challenges, Wyoming’s Rural Hospitals Remain Resilient To Serve Patients
Dr. Chuck Franklin is a physician at Weston County Health Services in Newcastle. He made his way between several patients in the ER on a weekday afternoon. “We've got a couple ER patients right now, a little two-year-old with a broken leg and then a lady with newly diagnosed diabetes, and severely low potassium,” he said typing in his notes on the hospital's electronic medical records system. Franklin knows some patients personally in this small community of just under 3,400 people. (Cook, 4/7)
