MHA Press Room

Older Americans Concerned There Aren't Enough Physicians, Nurses for Future Health Care Needs

More than half of individuals age 50 or older who were questioned in a new survey conducted a few days ago by AARP, the American Medical Association, and the American Nurses Association do not think enough physicians or nurses will be available to support their healthcare needs in the future.

Read more about the poll here.

Group calls for health reform to adequately fund safety net

A new report by the American Public Health Association calls for Congress and the administration to adequately fund the health care safety net, including hospitals that serve a disproportionate number of poor and uninsured patients. The report examines how the economic recession is impacting hospitals and other safety-net providers. Among other recommendations, it calls for adequately funding their capital and operating needs, support for standardized and interoperable health information technology, and financial and other incentives to strengthen the health and public health workforce.

Millions are ‘medically disenfranchised’: report

A shortage of primary-care doctors is contributing to the number of “medically disenfranchised” people in the U.S., according to a report from the National Association of Community Health Centers.

This population during the economic recession has increased from 56 million to 60 million in just two years, according to the NACHC’s report, Primary Care Access: An Essential Building Block of Health Reform. The medically disenfranchised refers to people who suffer from access problems. They’re uninsured or underinsured or deaf or can’t speak English, said Lolita Lopez, president and CEO of Westside Family Healthcare in Wilmington, Del., during a news conference to release the findings. Many of these patients don’t have a family doctor, Lopez added.

Study: Safety-net providers face continued financial pressures

Hospitals and other health care providers that serve low-income and uninsured patients continue to experience financial pressures, according to a study published online Aug. 12 by Health Affairs. The study of 12 communities found safety-net providers face increased demand for services, particularly among uninsured and Medicaid patients. As a result, most reported an overall increase in uncompensated care.

To increase revenue, many safety-net providers are attempting to upgrade and expand facilities to attract more privately insured patients, despite limited access to capital. “With financial and competitive pressures in the health system increasing, safety-net providers' ability to maintain viability may depend on the same strategies being used in the private sector to direct available capital toward facility renovation and expansion and to attract a more favorable payer mix among both services and patients,” the authors conclude.

HRSA issues health center report, locator tool

Federally funded health centers provided a medical home to more than 16 million patients in 2007 at an average cost per patient of $559, according to a new report from the Health Resources and Services Administration. About 6.2 million of those patients lacked health insurance, up from 4 million in 2001.

More than 1,000 federally funded health centers deliver services at 6,000 sites in U.S. states and territories, about half in rural and half in urban areas. These health centers employ 8,000 physicians and more than 4,700 nurse practitioners, physician assistants and certified nurse mid-wives.

Annual funding for federal health center programs nearly doubled from 2000 to 2007 to more than $2 billion. Consumers can locate the nearest federally funded health center using a new online tool.

Americans report declining access to medical care

One in five Americans reported forgoing or delaying medical care in 2007, up from one in seven in 2003, according to a new survey by the Center for Studying Health System Change. Cost was the most frequently cited obstacle to care.

More than 23 million people reported going without needed care, while roughly 36 million delayed seeking care, the survey found. Uninsured people were more than three times as likely to report going without care as insured people. However, unmet medical needs increased among insured people, which the authors said was likely due to rising out-of-pocket costs.

“This is the most up-to-date snapshot of the access problems Americans are facing when seeking medical care, and it’s not a pretty picture, especially for insured people, who increasingly are finding that the access to care once guaranteed by insurance is declining,” said coauthor Peter Cunningham.

[ via AHA News Now ]

Institute of Medicine releases report on state of U.S. elder care

The number of health care workers to manage the needs of the elderly, who make up nearly 20% of the US population, is not adequate, according to a new Institute of Medicine report. Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce discusses the need for grand changes to the health care system to accommodate for the mass of baby boomers turning 65. This includes a greater financial commitment on the part of the government for programs that will increase high-quality care for this age group.

The report also discusses the need to train family members and friends on how to care for those aged 65 and older. It also says that states should create programs to train unpaid caregivers to help local hospitals care for this population.

Doctors' survey: insurance companies impede patient care

Health insurance companies often block needed patient care through delays in processing claims and intervention by unqualified personnel, according to a first-ever survey of Houston-area physicians. In the Harris County Medical Society's "Payor Survey," 487 local doctors rated the six largest insurance companies in Harris County on patient care, payment and customer service. [The doctors] gave cellar-level ratings to all six of the major health insurance companies operating in the area. Greg Bernica, CEO of the Harris County Medical Society, said the group had hoped to rank insurers from best to worst. Instead, the companies all scored so low there was not enough statistical difference to do an actual ranking. "They all came in last," he said.

Read the full article from the Houston Chronicle.

Study: On-call coverage challenges threaten specialist care for patients

Specialist physicians are increasingly reluctant to provide emergency on-call coverage at hospitals, posing higher costs for hospitals and reducing access to specialist care for patients, according to a study in 12 communities released Nov. 20 by the Center for Studying Health System Change. Many specialists are shifting their services to non-hospital settings or specialty hospitals, believe payment for emergency care is inadequate, have medical liability concerns with ED coverage or view it as a burden, the authors said.

To deal with the problem, hospitals are paying for on-call coverage, physicians’ malpractice premiums and treatment of uninsured patients while on call, directly employing specialist physicians and pursuing other administrative arrangements to encourage physicians to take ED call, the study found.

Study: Covering the uninsured could increase overall access to care

Expanding health coverage to the nation’s 47 million uninsured could improve health care for people who already have insurance, according to a new study in the September-October issue of Health Affairs. Researchers found that insured adults who live in communities with high uninsurance rates are more likely to face problems with access to care and quality than those who live in communities where more people are covered.

Economists compared differences in health care access, use and quality between insured adults in 10 communities with the highest and 10 with the lowest proportions of uninsured adults. They found insured adults who live in communities with high proportions of uninsured people were less likely to have a regular health care provider compared to their peers in communities with low uninsurance, reported more problems getting referred to a specialist and were less likely to report they were satisfied with their doctor.

[ via AHA News Now ]