Rural Dispatch: Dec. 20, 2022
The Official Who Investigates Suspicious Deaths in Your Town May Be a Doctor — Or Not
Samantha Young
Across the country, there are no consistent requirements for the officials who investigate suspicious and unexpected deaths. Some have no medical training, others are doctors trained in forensic pathology. Washington, California, Illinois, and Georgia are among the states that have recently attempted to make changes — with mixed success.
A Montana Addiction Clinic Wants to Motivate People With Rewards. Then Came a Medicaid Fraud Probe.
Katheryn Houghton
A complaint was filed with the state against an addiction treatment provider that wants to use rewards — an effective but largely unregulated tool — to help people stay in recovery.
HIV Outbreak Persists as Officials Push Back Against Containment Efforts
Taylor Sisk
Research shows offering clean syringes to people who misuse IV drugs is effective in combating the spread of HIV. But an epidemiologist and advocates say state and local officials in West Virginia, home to one of the worst HIV outbreaks in recent years, have taken measures that render syringe exchange less accessible.
Why Medicaid Expansion Ballots May Hit a Dead End After a Fleeting Victory in South Dakota
Rachana Pradhan and Daniel Chang
Since 2017, Medicaid expansion has been adopted in seven states where a question was placed directly on the ballot. But campaign leaders say that strategy may not work in Florida and Wyoming, where Republican opposition remains strong.
Squeezed by Temp Nurse Costs, Hospital Systems Create Their Own Staffing Agencies
Andy Miller
Hospitals have depended on travel nurses to fill shifts, especially during covid surges. Now some larger systems, reeling from high contract labor costs, have created staffing units, aiming to lure nurses who want more work flexibility and better pay than staff RNs get.
In Rural America, Deadly Costs of Opioids Outweigh the Dollars Tagged to Address Them
Aneri Pattani and Rae Ellen Bichell
Some people say it’s reasonable for densely populated areas to receive more settlement funds, since they serve more of those affected. But others worry this overlooks rural communities disproportionately harmed by opioid addiction.
KHN Investigation: The System Feds Rely On to Stop Repeat Health Fraud Is Broken
Sarah Jane Tribble and Lauren Weber
A months-long KHN examination of the system meant to bar fraudsters from Medicaid, Medicare, and other federal health programs found gaping holes and expansive gray areas through which banned individuals slip to repeatedly bilk taxpayer-funded programs.
Addiction Treatment Proponents Urge Rural Clinicians to Pitch In by Prescribing Medication
Tony Leys
The number of U.S. health care providers certified to prescribe buprenorphine more than doubled in the past four years, and treatment advocates hope to see that trend continue.
Racial Disparities in Lung Cancer Start With Research
Melba Newsome
Improving lung cancer outcomes in Black communities will take more than lowering the screening age, experts say. Disparities are present in everything from the studies that inform when people should get checked to the availability of care in rural areas.
Abrumados por los costos, hospitales crean sus propias agencias de enfermería
Andy Miller
Cada vez más sistemas hospitalarios están creando equipos internos de personal para hacer frente a la escasez de enfermeras provocada por la pandemia, y para tratar de vencer a las agencias privadas de personal temporal con sus propias armas.