Survey: Shortage Of Qualified Doctors Expected To Worsen Over Next Decade
Two-thirds of participants surveyed say there are not enough qualified doctors to fill available positions, in part due to medical school enrollment not keeping up with demand. Qualified applicants for nurse and physician assistant positions are up from the prior three years.
Axios:
Fewer Qualified Doctors For Hire: Survey
Almost 2 in 3 physicians say there aren't enough qualified doctors to fill openings in their area, in another sign of how the health care workforce is straining to meet patient demand. (Bettelheim, 8/26)
In other health care industry news —
Becker's Hospital Review:
California Hospital To Close After CMS Revokes Critical Access Status
Willows, Calif.-based Glenn Medical Center plans to close its emergency department, with the hospital closing shortly after, following CMS’ plan to revoke its critical access hospital designation, effective Oct. 21. ... “Our emergency department has been a lifeline for Willows and surrounding communities, and we did everything in our power to appeal CMS’s decision. While we cannot change this outcome, our priority now is to support our community and staff through this transition. We are actively working to connect affected hospital staff with other good employment opportunities and are committed to keeping our patients informed of next steps.” (Ashley, 8/25)
Modern Healthcare:
Summa Health To Stop Accepting Some Out-Of-Network Patients
Summa Health will no longer schedule appointments for patients with out-of-network or non-contracted health plans, effective Sept. 1. The new policy applies to walk-in urgent care, laboratory and radiology services, and appointments with Summa Health Medical Group, a physician network for more than 30 specialties. It does not apply to emergency services. Akron, Ohio-based Summa contracts with more than 40 health plans, including Aetna, Cigna, Humana and United Healthcare. (Hudson, 8/25)
Newsweek:
Bankruptcies Are Hitting America's Health Care Giants
According to a recent report from Gibbins Advisors, the 79 health care bankruptcy filings in 2023 and 57 in 2024 surpassed the annual average of 42 for the previous four years. While senior care and hospital bankruptcies surged past typical levels in the first quarter, overall health care bankruptcies dropped markedly in the three months through July. While the tally of filings in 2025 has remained on the worrying trend of the last few years, this year has stood out because of the scale of the companies failing to meet their financial obligations. (Cameron, 8/26)
Becker's Hospital Review:
Trump's Rollback Of Biden Competition Order Stirs CEO Debate
The healthcare industry is once again recalibrating after President Donald Trump revoked a Biden-era executive order aimed at limiting hospital consolidation. While some health system leaders see the move as a green light for growth and regional alignment, others remain skeptical, warning that systemic challenges — from payer leverage to uneven regulation — still pose roadblocks to meaningful change. (Condon and Gooch, 8/25)
CIDRAP:
Despite Decolonization Efforts, Nursing Home Rooms Remain Contaminated With Resistant Organisms
A study conducted in three US nursing homes highlights the challenge of reducing environmental contamination with multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs). The study by researchers with the University of California Los Angeles Medical Center and the University of California Irvine School of Medicine, published last week in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, involved implementation of routine bathing/showering with chlorhexidine and nasal iodophor to reduce MDRO colonization in residents. (Dall, 8/25)
KFF Health News:
An Insurer Agreed To Cover Her Surgery. A Politician’s Nudge Got The Bills Paid
For the most part, Keyanna Jones and her husband thought they knew what to expect when their daughter Chloë had eye surgery last fall. Even Chloë, who was in kindergarten, had a good understanding of how things would go that day. Before the procedure, a hospital worker gave her a coloring book that explained the steps of the surgery — a procedure to correct a condition that could have eventually interfered with her vision. (Anthony, 8/26)
In pharma and tech news —
Modern Healthcare:
Terumo Corp. To Buy OrganOx For $1.5 Billion
Medtech company Terumo Corp. announced plans Monday to acquire OrganOx, which sells a device that preserves donor livers, for about $1.5 billion. The deal marks Terumo’s debut into the organ transplantation field. The companies have not disclosed when the transaction is expected to close. OrganOx’s metra device pumps donor livers with oxygenated blood, medications and nutrients at body temperature to simulate natural conditions. (Dubinsky, 8/25)
Bloomberg:
AbbVie To Buy Gilgamesh Depression Drug For Up To $1.2 Billion
AbbVie Inc. agreed to buy an experimental depression treatment from Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals Inc. for up to $1.2 billion in a deal that highlights the drug industry’s growing interest in next-generation psychedelic compounds. Under the terms of the agreement, AbbVie will acquire Gilgamesh’s lead drug bretisilocin, which is in development for major depressive disorder, according to a statement. Gilgamesh will spin its other programs off into a new entity called Gilgamesh Pharma Inc. (Muller, 8/25)
