In the News

Pharmacists Increasingly Take on Clinical Roles - According to kaiserhealthnews.org, on February 11, once limited to filling and dispensing drugs, pharmacists are increasingly providing direct care to patients. Across the country, they are working with doctors to give immunizations and help patients safely manage medications. In some places, they can even write prescriptions after a physician's diagnosis.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE

Apprehensive, Many Doctors Shift to Jobs with Salaries - According to the New York Times, on February 13, American physicians are worried about changes in the health care market and are streaming to salaried jobs with hospitals.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE

In the News

More Residents Choose Family Medicine, but Gaps Remain in Primary Care Workforce - According to AMA Wire, on January 15, despite a higher number of family medicine residency positions and more medical school graduates choosing family medicine careers in 2013, recent boosts still will fall short of increasing the primary care workforce. TO READ MORE CLICK HERE The Four Pillars for Primary Care Physician Workforce Reform: A Blue Print for Future Activity - According to annfammed.org, in January 2014, the Council of Academic Family Medicine (CAFM), representing the family medicine academic organizations, has adopted the “Four Pillars for Primary Care Physician Workforce” as a succinct model to identify necessary conditions to ensure the needed growth in the number of primary care physicians. TO READ MORECLICK HERE Experienced Nurses Are Less Expensive Than You Think - According to HealthLeaders Media, on January 8, health care leaders now have data to back up what many already know: more clinical nursing experience means better pediatric patient outcomes.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE

In the News

The Future of Jobs in Health Care - According to U.S. News & World Report, on November 26, experts discussed the rewards of a medical career, trends in health care employment, why the health field is changing, how it will change and which jobs have the greatest potential for growth. ***TO READ MORE*** CLICK HERE Demand for Heath Care Training Continues to Grow - According to Community College Daily, on December 2, as health care providers, patients and employers adjust to health care law changes, community colleges are gearing up to keep pace with rising economic and societal demands for medical and allied health professionals. ***TO READ MORE*CLICK HERE The 7 Hottest Jobs of the Health Care Boom - According to SFGate.com on October 29, some of the hottest jobs in healthcare right now have been around for years but are now seeing increased demand, while others are more recently created.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE

In the News

The 7 Hottest Jobs of the Health Care Boom - According to SFGate.com on October 29, some of the hottest jobs in healthcare right now have been around for years but are now seeing increased demand, while others are more recently created.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE

2013 State Physician Workforce Data Book Now Available - According to aamc.org on November 4, The 2013 State Physician Workforce Data Book includes data by state for physician supply undergraduate and graduate medical education, and in-state retention rates, as well as interactive summaries for each state.TO READ MORE*CLICK HERE

S.C. needs more doctors in rural parts of the state - TO READ MORE CLICK HERE

In the News

Rural hospitals in South Carolina struggle to transition during difficult financial times, shifting health care landscape - According to Post and Courier on October 24, as populations in rural South Carolina decline and hospital admissions drop everywhere, rural hospitals find themselves facing a financial crisis.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE Staffing the Hospital of Tomorrow - According to the U.S. News & World Report on October 16, industry challenges are changing the way hospitals hire staff. Hospitals are overwhelmingly seeking primary care providers. Also, demand is increasing rapidly for nurse practitioners and physicians assistants.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE Urgent Care Clinics Expect Growth - According to MedCity News on September 27, urgent care centers are expected to increase and fill the patient needs gap as primary care doctor shortage grows.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE

In the News

In the News

Are 3-Year Medical Degrees Good Enough for Future Docs? - According to Fierce Healthcare, on September 17, more medical schools are turning to a three-year solution, offering future primary care doctors an accelerated program and major savings. But not all health educators favor the fast-track approach and urge caution when redesigning medical education. TO READ MORE CLICK HERE Educators Call for Abbreviated Medical School Curriculum to Reduce Student Debt, Strengthen Workforce - According to MedicalDaily.com, on September 20, medical students and universities could benefit from reducing the traditional four-year curriculum to three years according to educators at the New York University School of Medicine. TO READ MORE CLICK HERE Paying Doctors for Better Care Improves Quality - According to Reuters, on September 11, paying bonuses to doctors who work in small practices for the quality of care they provide leads to a modest increase in the number of patients who get the recommended treatment for their conditions, according to a new study. TO READ MORECLICK HERE

In the News- September 19, 2013

In the News

More Medical School Students Opting for Family Medicine Careers, Data Show - According to American Academy of Family Physicians, on September 4, the percentage of medical school graduates choosing family medicine residencies has jumped by nearly 10 percent during the past five years.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE

SC Hospitals Gobble up Doctor Practices in Evolving Healthcare Environment - According to thestate.com, on September 3, hospitals are acquiring more physician practices as they prepare to move away from a fee-for-service reimbursement system that pays for services and treatments to one that focuses more on quality outcomes and containing costs. TO READ MORE CLICK HERE




How a Shortage of Doctors Here Can Hurt Health Care in the Developing World - According to Minnesota Public Radio News, The Daily Circuit, on August 30, foreign-trained physicians could help fill the growing shortage of doctors in the United States, but it can also cripple the health-care capabilities of poor countries. TO READ MORE CLICK HERE

In the News- Sept. 11

In the News

Community Health Workers- A Local Solution to a Global Problem - According to the New England journal of Medicine, on September 5, ideally, patient care will take place not just in episodic encounters but also through continuous, community-based partnerships that include new entities and workers. Elsewhere in the world, such care has involved the use of community health workers (CHWs) — lay community members with focused health care training. We believe that scaling up the community health workforce in the United States could improve health outcomes, reduce health care costs, and create jobs.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE Program Seeks to Help Retired Docs Enter Primary Care - According to utsandiego.com, on September 3, a successful career in medicine is neither regularly scheduled nor part time, but a local surgeon hopes to deliver both to retired doctors who want to continue seeing patients a few days a week with none of the usual financial frustrations and time commitments attached.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE ‘Double Whammy’: Nursing Shortage Starts in the Classroom - According to nbcnews.com, on August 31, nurses may be the answer to some of the key health care and employment problems the US is struggling with right now. But just as the country needs nurses the most, a shortage of professors is curbing the capacity of nursing schools to crank out graduates with advanced degrees.TO READ MORECLICK HERE

In the News August 26, 2013

In the News

NPs, PAs Trending Away from Primary Care - According to medpagetoday.com, on August 16, a new study in American Family Physician finds an increase in sub-specialization among nurse practitioners and physician assistants. TO READ MORE CLICK HERE Hunting Season for Healthcare Worker - According to healthleadersmedia.com, on August 19, health care professionals are feeling more confident about their job prospects, making hiring more difficult for employers. TO READ MORE CLICK HERE Path to United States Practice Is Long Slog to Foreign Doctors - According to The New York Times, on August 12, thousands of foreign-trained immigrant physicians are living in the United States with lifesaving skills that are going unused because they stumbled over one of the many hurdles in the path toward becoming a licensed doctor here. TO READ MORE CLICK HERE

In the News

Health Sector Job Growth Flat for First Time in Decade- According to a recent report published by the Center for Sustainable Health Spending at the Altarum Institute, the national health sector added only 2,500 jobs in July 2013 - the lowest monthly gain in a decade. 2013 is showing slower healthcare job growth than 2012, and hospital employment has been flat. However, ambulatory care saw job gains in 2013. See the full report at: CLICK HERE A Summer in the Country can Inspire Physicians to Practice in Rural Areas, Study Finds - According to MedicalXpress.com, on August 6, a study by the University of Missouri School of Medicine showed that medical school graduates in the Summer Community Program not only entered family practice residency training at higher rates, but nearly half began their medical careers in rural locations.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE A Meandering Path to Medical School in SC - According to TheState.com, on August 10, along with grades, service histories and MCATs, South Carolina medical schools are now looking at life experience when they consider which applicants to choose.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE

In the News August 8-15, 2013

In the News

Doctors Brief Congress on Role of Primary Care - According to aamc.org, on July 20, 2013, primary care providers promote care coordination, strengthen care for patients in community-based settings, and advance health care for veterans and special populations, according to a panel of primary care physicians that addressed congressional staffers at a recent briefing sponsored by the Partnership for Primary Care Workforce. The AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) is a member of the coalition, which seeks to raise awareness about the vital importance of a robust primary care infrastructure.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE Health Professions Network Spring Conference Examines Status of Healthcare Workforce Preparation Programs - According to hwic.org, on March 21, 2013, the healthcare industry is changing rapidly, and no slowdown is in sight. The reason for the changes are many, from healthcare reform to new technology, but all impact how care is delivered and ultimately, how we must prepare the health workforce. Many different organizations are working to address the needs for workforce development, but the Board of Health Professions Network (HPN) believes that to effectively create new models, widespread collaboration is needed. Together, we can find solutions and shape a unified future direction while decreasing duplication of effort.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE In health care industry, who will keep workers safe? - According to usatoday.com, on August 3, 2013, health care workers suffer more injuries and illnesses on the job than those in any other industry, thanks in large part to limited federal safety standards and inspections of health care facilities, says a new report by a national advocacy non-profit. Health care workers face a wide range of hazards on the job, including needle sticks, back injuries from lifting patients and moving equipment, latex allergies and violence, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE

News for August 1, 2013

In the News

Geographic Distribution of Primary Care Physicians Affects Health Care, Says Policy Brief - According to aafp.org, on June 20, 2013, although the United States suffers from a well-known shortage of primary care physicians, an even greater challenge facing U.S. health care is the uneven geographic distribution of primary care physicians. These distribution problems underscore the need for policies to increase both the overall number of primary care physicians and to encourage a more equal distribution of physicians. Since the United States does not actively regulate the physician workforce, the result is incongruency between the geographic location and specialty choice of the health workforce and enduring health care needs of the U.S. population.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE Primary Care Shortfall Could Be Worse Than Predicted- According to amednews.com, on July 17, 2013, the Association of American Medical Colleges predicts that by 2025 there will be a shortfall of 65,800 primary care doctors to serve the country’s health care needs. Behind the low share of trainees entering primary care lies great variation among residency programs. Further research should be done to determine the factors associated with the training sites that produce higher shares of primary care doctorsTO READ MORE CLICK HERE Temporary Nurses Are a Stopgap Solution - According to HealthLeadersMedia.com, on July 8, 2013, reported that with dozens of staffing contracts and hundreds of vacant nursing positions, Scott & White Healthcare in Texas faced a business expansion that outpaced its staffing resources. Here's how the HR department recovered.TO READ MORECLICK HERE

In the News

Nurse Practitioners Slowly Gain Autonomy - According to The Pew Charitable Trusts on July 19, 2013 some states are trying to fill the primary care physician shortage with nurses who have advanced degrees in family medicine. Advocates for patients, hospitals and insurers agree that allowing nurse practitioners (NPs) to fill in for doctors makes sense when it comes to basic services. But physician groups vigorously oppose the changes, arguing that nurses lack the training to safely diagnose, treat, refer to specialists, admit to hospitals and prescribe medications for patients, without a doctor’s oversight.But for the nursing profession, the gold standard is full independence. That is the only way, advocates argue, that NPs will be able to make a dent in patients’ access to care. TO READ MORE CLICK HERE




Is GME Snubbing Rural America - According to Media Health Leaders on June 19, 2013-The U.S. Census for 2010 says that one in five people —19.3% of the population, about 59.4 million people—live in rural America. Unfortunately, a new report this month from George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services says that only 4.8% of new physicians plan to establish a practice in rural areas, despite the critical need. It's a topic that's been predicted and discussed for decades. We know what the problem is but we can't fix it.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE



Shortage of primary care doctors forces groups to adapt - According to News telegram.com on July 25, 2013-Since the state passed a health reform law in 2006 mandating health insurance coverage, demand for internal medicine and family practice physicians to manage office-based patient care has soared. Not only has the Reliant medical group hired seven more advanced-practice clinicians, such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants, who provide primary care under a physician's supervision, but it also employs nurses and medical assistants in innovative ways. Medical assistants work with Reliant's database to contact high-risk patients with chronic diseases, including depression, who may be overdue for an appointment or need a check-in on medication.TO READ MORE. CLICK HERE

In the News

Study Predicts 5.6 Million New Health Care Jobs by 2020, with Demand Highest for Nurses - According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on June 27,2013 the United States health care workforce will have to expand by almost 30 percent between 2010 and 2020 to meet growing demand for care. Nursing will grow the fastest among healthcare occupations. The estimated 5.6 million health care job vacancies created over the next ten years is expected to be the most dramatic growth in any job sector in the country during that time period.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE




How Can We Expand the Primary Care Workforce? - According to the Robert Wood Johnson Founduation on January 1, 2012 - Primary care is vital to disease prevention yet the United States has a deficit of nearly 40,000 primary care physicians. Because of this shortage, many people have little access to primary care and increasingly are turning to hospital emergency rooms for care—or going without. How Can We Expand the Primary Care Workforce?TO READ MORE CLICK HERE



Doctors working in fast-food restaurants - According to CNN Health on July 4, 2013 in Southern California alone, there are an estimated 3,000 medically trained Latino immigrant doctors who aren't practicing medicine. Instead of treating patients many doctors spend years cleaning houses or working on construction sites and in fast-food chain restaurants. Latino immigrant doctors have a harder time transitioning into the U.S. health system. The IMG program has helped 66 Latino immigrant doctors pass the board exams and get placed into residency programs.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE

In the News

Top U.S. States Where Doctors Go Digital - According to a Bloomberg.com article on June 25th, 2013: What's your family's health history? Imagine not having to recount any of that. That's one benefit of electronic medical records. Depending where you live in the U.S., your medical records may still be stuck in the 20th century. In 2012, 29.7 percent of South Carolina's office-based doctors used basic electronic medical records. That's lower than the national average of 39.6 percent. TO READ MORE CLICK HERE



Southern states have too few dentists for residents, Pew study finds - According to the Post and Courier on June 28th, 2013: Several Southern states have some of the most severe dentist shortages in the country. Tony Keck, director of South Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services, said South Carolina’s Medicaid program doesn’t face the same financial problems plaguing Louisiana. Mississippi ranked at the top of the list with 36.3 percent of its population underserved by dentists, and Louisiana and Alabama tied for second at 24.4 percent. TO READ MORE CLICK HERE



Perspective: Envy-A Strategy for Reform - According to a perspective written by Drs. Nick Seddon and Thomas Lee in The New England Journal of Medicine on June 13, 2013, they believe that envy has an appropriate place in health policy, if in this case it means health systems struggling to address specific weaknesses by identifying strengths in other systems that they could emulate. For starters, the United States should envy the United Kingdom's commitment to universal access to health care, not because it suggests moral superiority but because it confers a strategic advantage. Character traits may be hard to change, but the English could do with a bit of American optimism, whereas the Americans would benefit from a bit of English stoicism.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE



In the News

Redefining Leadership and Medical Teams - The June issue of the AMA Journal of Ethics takes a look at the ethical impact of team-based care in clinical practice, medical education and administrative leadership. Read the editor's overview here.In clinical practice, responsibility for patient care is shifting from individual physicians to groups comprising different specialists who, together, are accountable for “episodes” of care.The “team” challenge, so to speak, is that doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and others, e.g., physical therapists, working as a clinical team must provide integrated, coordinated patient-centered care, despite the specific competencies that each possesses and spheres of practice that each represents.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE



Medical Schools Not Graduating Enough Primary Care Docs - According to Physicians News Digest on June 13th, 2013: The nation’s medical education system — and the graduate medical education funding that supports it — are failing to produce the primary care physician workforce needed by Americans, particularly those who live in rural areas. The percentage of graduates going into primary care overall was less than 25 percent. Fewer than 5 percent practiced in rural areas.Primary care physician production of 25.2 percent and rural physician production of 4.8 percent will not sustain the current workforce, solve problems of maldistribution or address acknowledged shortages.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE



Adequate and Stable Nurse Staffing Is Key to Improving Care for Heart Failure Patients - According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on May 1st, 2013: A new study, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Interdisciplinary Nursing Quality Research Initiative (INQRI), in the current issue of Medical Care found that rural hospitals with lower nurse turnover are more likely to implement all four measures that are central to optimal care for heart failure patients. The four measures are providing smoking cessation counseling; providing adequate instructions to patients being discharged from the hospital; assessing how well the heart pumps; and making sure the patient receives medication to help blood vessels relax. The results of this study really speak to the central role nurses play in almost any quality improvement effort.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE

In the News

What Can Be Done to Encourage More Interprofessional Collaboration in Health Care? - According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in the September 2011, our health care system today is fraught with errors. Both the human and financial costs are enormous. In 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that, at any given time, about one in every 20 patients has an infection related to their hospital care. Most health care providers today were educated in silos with only those from their own profession. Few were trained to work as part of integrated teams. Research has long suggested that collaboration improves coordination, communication and, ultimately, the quality and safety of patient care.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE



How can nurses help improve access to primary care? - According to Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in the September 2011 issue, the Accountable Care Act will bring some 30 million uninsured Americans into a health care system already grappling with an acute need for primary care providers and an aging population with more complex, chronic health problems. The nation's 3.1 million nurses—who comprise the largest health care profession—play an integral role. Given the demands on the system for primary care and for health care in underserved communities, advanced practical registered nurses (APRNs) are especially critical.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE



Lower Nurse Turnover Linked to Higher Quality Care in Rural Hospitals - According to NurseZone.com on May 8, 2013 - They found that the rural hospitals with low nursing turnover were more likely to implement four core measures for the care of heart failure patients: (1) providing adequate discharge instructions; (2) providing smoking cessation counseling; (3) assessing how well the heart pumps; and (4) ensuring the patient receives medication to relax blood vessels. What nurses do makes a difference,” said Newhouse, chair and professor of organizational systems and adult health at the University of Maryland School of Nursing.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE

In the News

Lower Nurse Turnover Linked to Higher Quality Care in Rural Hospitals - According to NurseZone.com on May 8, 2013 - They found that the rural hospitals with low nursing turnover were more likely to implement four core measures for the care of heart failure patients: (1) providing adequate discharge instructions; (2) providing smoking cessation counseling; (3) assessing how well the heart pumps; and (4) ensuring the patient receives medication to relax blood vessels. What nurses do makes a difference,” said Newhouse, chair and professor of organizational systems and adult health at the University of Maryland School of Nursing.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE



A New Approach to Recruitment and Retention - According to AAFP on May 1, 2013 - We invest years of time and energy into our more than 460 family medicine residencies -- selecting, training and preparing our bright new family doctors. What if there was a program for newly minted family doctors looking to find their ideal practice? Let's call it FamilyDocMatch.com.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE



8 trends for a changing healthcare workforce - According to Healthcare IT News on February 17, 2012 - Clinton Wingrove, EVP and principal consultant at Pilat HR Solutions, thinks, though, lessons can be learned from the various issues industry leaders are facing. Whether its recruiting or training, or dealing with the incoming millennial workers, he outlines eight trends concerning the changing healthcare workforce.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE

In the News

How Can We Expand the Primary Care Workforce? - According to RWJF on January 1st, 2012 the United States has a deficit of nearly 40,000 primary care physicians—a situation that is expected to worsen as the population continues to age and as millions more Americans become insured through health reform.The shortage of primary care providers is especially dire in many rural and urban areas. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants can play a key role in improving access to quality primary care. TO READ MORE CLICK HERE



Rural hospitals apply lean patient care - According to Charleston Regional Businesss Journal on February 6th, 2013 recently, Newberry County Memorial Hospital was selected to participate in the Carolinas Rural Hospital Lean Culture Transformation Collaborative. The collaborative is a four-year initiative funded in part by a $5 million grant from The Duke Endowment. Over the next three years, Newberry and the other three S.C. hospitals will concentrate on implementing “lean,” a business improvement philosophy with practices first applied in manufacturing and now used in all segments of industry, including health care. CLICK HERE



From a Young Doctor: A Tribute to Nurses - According to Huffpost Healthy Living on May 13th, 2013 As we celebrate this year's Nurses Week, I am reminded of the Hippocrates saying that the goal of medicine is "to cure sometimes, to relieve often, to comfort always." This, too, I learn through daily example from the amazing nurses I work with. Thank you, Leana Wen M.D. TO READ MORE CLICK HERE

In the News

VA Drive to Hire 1,600 Mental Health Professionals Hits Community Clinics' Supply - According to Kaiser Health News, on April 7, 2013 The Department of Veterans Affairs, trying to cope with a surge in psychological needs of veterans, has vowed to hire 1,600 additional mental health care professionals by the end of June, but some experts say the pool of qualified candidates is too small and the federal effort could jeopardize already-understaffed community health organizations. "Being a clinician in the mental health field is not a very lucrative profession," Rudd said. "Often the cost of education has driven people into other fields where they are better able to pay off their loans." VA officials have been under intense pressure to improve services for veterans and the White House promised Friday to increase funding for veterans' mental health services by 7.2 percent to $7 billion in the fiscal year starting in October.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE



Rural Healthcare Workforce Shortages Defy Easy Solutions - According to Health Leaders Media, on February 27th 2013 With the clock ticking on sequestration and its cuts to healthcare funding, it seems callous to pile onto rural providers with more gray news. The Association of American Medical Colleges issued its annual report, Physician Education Debt and the Cost to Attend Medical School, and found that while the average debt load for medical school graduates in 2012 was $170,000—up 5% over 2011—those new doctors did not prioritize debt as the driving force in their decisions to seek a particular specialty. In fact, "education debt" placed 11th—dead last—on the list of "influence of various factors on the specialty choice of 2012 graduating medical students."TO READ MORE CLICK HERE



Men in Nursing Occupations - According to Random Samplings, on February 25th, 2013 In 2011, there were 330,000 men employed as nurses in the United States – about 9 percent of all nurses. As the need for nurses expanded during the Civil War along with a shortage of men to provide nursing care, women were allowed to fill the gap. As such, men’s representation in nursing experienced significant decline in the 1900s. However, men’s representation in nursing has been growing since the 1970s. Schools are now actively pursuing higher male enrollment in their nursing programs. The relatively high wages and expanding job opportunities makes this field attractive, offering stability even during recessions.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE