Physicians increasingly are concerned that high prices for gas and other essentials may leave patients unable to access healthcare:
Data from the National Poll on Children's Health released by the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital found that 6% of parents postponed a medical visit or the purchase of medication for their kids in response to the cost of fuel. Early indications also suggest that high gas prices are affecting the ability of some parts of the health system to provide care. The National Association for Home Care & Hospice issued a statement warning that fuel costs were jeopardizing the capability of nurses and other healthcare workers to visit patients, particularly in rural areas.
Congress allowed a Medicare bonus payment program to expire at the end of June, resulting in a 5% reduction in Medicare payments for nearly 25,000 primary care physicians who practice in federally designated physician scarcity areas, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. Under the program, the federal government had been paying Medicare physicians a 5% bonus each quarter for practicing in areas of the country designated as PSAs. That bonus provided an incentive for the 25,000 primary care physicians and about an equal number of subspecialists to practice in underserved parts of the country, said AAFP representatives. Without the program, physicians may not want to remain or locate in these areas, potentially undermining access to care for as many as 7.5 million, according to an analysis conducted by the AAFP's Robert Graham Center in Washington, DC.
Nurse practitioner Sally Messick makes a four-hour drive from her home every week to provide healthcare to rural residents in Engelhard, NC. Engelhard Medical Center operates from an 1,800-square-foot double-wide trailer, and is one of 30 rural health centers that operates with help from the NC Office of Rural Health and Community Care. Messick officially sees patients on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and on Friday mornings, but unofficially will help no matter the hour, she says.
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego Medical Center say that a study of a telemedicine program which transports stroke specialists via computer to the patient's bedside, using highly sophisticated video, audio, and Internet technology, could have an immediate impact on the treatment of stroke patients.
Researchers investigated the use of a site-independent telemedicine system when used to provide remote consultation leading to treatment decisions about stroke patients. The study was designed to determine if the "STRokE DOC" technology enabled physicians to make good treatment decisions, and better decisions than telephone consultations, when evaluating stroke patients across distant sites. The results showed that telemedicine evaluation led to better decision-making than telephone consultations in the care of patients.
Following a hike in neonatal intensive care admissions in recent years, and despite solid second-quarter figures, Pediatrix Medical Group of South Florida is now reporting a drop in the number of newborns at the hospital.
An estimated $13.3 billion in healthcare costs for Massachusetts retirees will cost the state about $200 million per year for the next 20 years. By beginning payments now, the debt could ultimately be cut down to $7.5 billion.