Category: Doctors

Transgender People in Rural America Struggle to Find Doctors Willing or Able to Provide Care

Many health professionals in rural areas don’t know how to provide gender-affirming care, leaving transgender patients with few options.

Despite Doctors’ Concerns, University of California Renews Ties With Religious Affiliates

The public university’s health system is renewing contracts with outside hospitals and clinics even as some doctors and faculty say clearer language is needed to protect physicians performing abortions and gender-affirming treatments.

NY Docs Are Now Required to Prescribe Naloxone to Some Patients on Opioid Painkillers

This strategy — now in place in at least 10 states — is part of an effort to curb accidental opioid overdose deaths by patients who take these powerful medications.

ER Doctors Call Private Equity Staffing Practices Illegal and Seek to Ban Them

Doctors, consumer advocates, and some lawmakers are looking forward to a California lawsuit against private equity-backed Envision Healthcare. The case is part of a multistate effort to enforce rules banning corporate ownership of physician practices.

The Official Who Investigates Suspicious Deaths in Your Town May Be a Doctor — Or Not

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.

Medicare Pay Cuts Will Hurt Seniors’ Care, Doctors Argue

New reductions in Medicare payments in 2023 will drive more doctors away from accepting Medicare patients, physicians say. They are again pushing back on efforts largely designed to control government spending.

How Medicare Advantage Plans Dodged Auditors and Overcharged Taxpayers by Millions

Facing rare scrutiny from federal auditors, some Medicare Advantage health plans failed to produce any records to justify their payments, government records show. The audits revealed millions of dollars in overcharges to Medicare over three years.

Haven’t Seen Your Doctor in a Few Years? You May Need to Find a New One

Some primary care physicians will drop seldom-seen patients. That’s a particular problem for those who postponed doctor visits during the pandemic.

As Giant Hospitals Get Bigger, An Independent Doctor Feels the Squeeze

Independent medical practices keep closing as doctors join behemoth hospital groups or leave the field. Research suggests that’s bad news for patients. Studies repeatedly conclude that consolidation in the health care industry is driving up costs while showing no clear evidence of improved care.

Hospitals Have Been Slow to Bring On Addiction Specialists

Hospitals have specialists ready to offer consult and care for concerns from cancer to childbirth but often no one with expertise in addiction medicine. Patients with a history of substance use — who are discharged without care — are at risk for overdose.