Medicare often pays clinics owned by hospitals at least double the amount it pays independent clinics for the exact same medical care. Ending that practice would save money for taxpayers and patients, but critics say it could also push rural hospitals to cut services or close.
Rural Health Care
Posted inWorkforce
How a Doctor’s Peers Shape Prescribing Habits
A new NBER working paper reveals that doctors practicing alone write more inappropriate opioid prescriptions than doctors working in groups.
Posted inPublic Health
What the PHE Taught Us About Sick Leave, Telemedicine and Public Health Powers
A trio of studies help mark the end of the PHE, and recap some of the health policy lessons learned from this unprecedented period.
Posted inHealth Equity
Going Beyond Rural Hospital Closures
Jose Fernandez shares new research that examines the causes and ramifications of rural hospital closures.
Posted inWorkforce
The ‘Wild West’ of Health Workforce Policy
The pandemic has reignited long-standing turf wars among health professions, and state lawmakers are caught in the middle.
Posted inPublic Health
The Fascinating History of Scheduling Doctor Visits
Ishani Ganguli shares new research that explores the history of scheduling doctors visits.
Posted inArticles
When Racial and Rural Disparities Collide
Katie Keith shares a new study looking at the distance to hospitals for zip codes with high percentages of people of color.
Posted inInsurance
Medicaid Expansion Is About More Than New Enrollees
Paul Shafer writes about a new study on how Louisiana’s Medicaid expansion helped people already in the program find care closer to their homes.
Posted inPublic Health
Which Comes First: Economic Decline or Hospital Closure?
Maria Polyakova looks at research showing that rural hospital closures may not have as dire economic impacts on their communities as often believed.
Posted inPublic Health
Finally, A Randomized Trial of Mask Wearing
Paul Shafer on the results of a massive randomized trial of masks’ impact on the spread of COVID-19.