Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Survey: 1 In 10 Physicians Admit To Having Suicidal Thoughts
Fierce Healthcare: Physicians Are Twice As Likely As The General Population To Attempt Suicide, Medscape Survey Finds
Nearly a quarter of physicians reported clinical depression in a new Medscape survey, while 9% admitted to suicidal thoughts, and 1% shared that they attempted to end their lives. Medscape surveyed 9,100 physicians across 29 specialties last year. While physicians often address the suicide crisis throughout the U.S., many are struggling with their own mental health. Two-thirds of doctors reported colloquial depression, according to the survey. (Burky, 3/3)
Medscape: Specialty, Age May Contribute To Doctors' Suicidal Thoughts
A physician's specialty can make a difference when it comes to having suicidal thoughts. Doctors who specialize in family medicine, obstetrics-gynecology, and psychiatry reported double the rates of suicidal thoughts than doctors in oncology, rheumatology, and pulmonary medicine, according to Doctors' Burden: Medscape Physician Suicide Report 2023."The specialties with the highest reporting of physician suicidal thoughts are also those with the greatest physician shortages, based on the number of job openings posted by recruiting sites," said Peter Yellowlees, MD, professor of psychiatry and chief wellness officer at UC Davis Health. (Lehmann, 3/7)
If you are in need of help —
Dial 9-8-8 for 24/7 support from the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It's free and confidential.
In related news about health workers —
Stat: Why Doctors Leave Clinical Medicine To Work For Insurers
Gastroenterologist Alin Botoman had been on hold for almost an hour. The drone of muzak taunted him on speaker phone. It was the second day in a row he’d spent trying to get insurance to cover a dual CT/PET scan he’d already performed for his patient with esophageal cancer. The day before, after the insurance company unexpectedly denied the request, he’d called to contest the decision and spent an hour on hold. (Pasricha, 3/8)
Axios: Immigration Seen As A Solution To Nursing Home Labor Woes
Increased immigration could help solve nursing homes' persistent workforce shortages and improve the quality of care in communal health settings, a new National Bureau of Economic Research paper found. (Dreher, 3/7)
In other health care industry developments —
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Craig Yabuki Mental Health Walk-In Clinic At Children's Wisconsin Has Treated Nearly 1,000 Children In First Year
It's a clinic unlike any other on the Children's Wisconsin hospital campus. There are no needles, no shots, no X-rays or prescriptions for medication. Yet since the Craig Yabuki Mental Health Walk-In Clinic opened its doors one year ago Wednesday, nearly 1,000 children and teenagers ages 5 to 18 have received care by staff using two seemingly simple tools − talking and listening. (Van Egeren, 3/7)
The CT Mirror: Report: CT Hospital Finances Shrinking Amid Pandemic, Inflation
Connecticut hospitals faced their worst year financially in 2022 since before the coronavirus struck, facing shrinking revenues, sicker patients and surging labor and other costs, according to a new study released Tuesday by the Connecticut Hospital Association. (Phaneuf, 3/7)
KHN: Reentry Programs To Help Former Prisoners Obtain Health Care Are Often Underused
When Matthew Boyd was released from a Georgia state prison in December 2020, officials sent him home without medicines he uses to manage chronic heart and lung conditions and high blood pressure, he said. Less than a month later, he spent eight days in an intensive care unit, the first of more than 40 hospital stays since. These days, he can barely get out of bed in his home south of Atlanta. (Rayasam, 3/8)
PBS NewsHour: Why Cancer Patients Leaving Prison Struggle To Get Care
People who have been incarcerated are more likely to die when they have cancer than those who were never in prison, recent research suggests – an effect of systems that have not been designed to care for individuals when they are in the criminal justice system or after they’ve been released. (Santhanam, 3/7)
KHN: Watch: Emergency Room Turns Simple Injury Into A Big Bill
Leigh Fava wound up in the emergency room after injuring her thumb at her New Orleans home. She said she received a tetanus shot and a badly wrapped bandage — and an unexpectedly high bill. Her experiences trying to dispute the hospital’s charges left her feeling ignored, she said. In this installment of InvestigateTV and KHN’s “Costly Care” series, Caresse Jackman, InvestigateTV’s national consumer investigative reporter, illuminates the practice of up-charging for common medications and supplies in the emergency room. (3/7)
