Access to Care

Poor care access leaves youth mental health crisis in limbo

April 23, 2024 - Only around half the kids displaying symptoms of anxiety or depression are getting a clinical diagnosis for the disorders, and even fewer are able to access care, according to a new United Hospital Fund report that paints a picture of the youth mental health crisis in America. In 2021, only 39 percent of adolescents experiencing a major depressive...

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Paving the way to a diverse medical workforce starts with med schools

by Sara Heath

When the medical workforce is reflective of the patients it treats, everyone wins. But getting there isn’t going to be an overnight process; instead, leaders in medical education need to start focusing on creating pathways to a...

14% of women say Dobbs decision stalled access to abortion

by Sara Heath

The 2021 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization has had far-ranging effects, with new KFF polling showing that one in seven women of reproductive age (18-49) know someone who’s had a...

US lags in usual source of care, primary care access

by Sara Heath

Adults in the United States are among the least likely to have a usual source of care compared to other high-income nations, a finding that Commonwealth Fund researchers say may signal the...

Retail health clinic utilization climbed by 202% by 2022

by Sara Heath

Retail health clinic utilization soared a whopping 202 percent nationally from 2021 to 2022, signaling the continued care access shift into alternative care sites, according to the FAIR Health...

Are rising US maternal mortality rates inflated?

by Sara Heath

A new study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology is calling into question the high US maternal mortality rate, stating that many of the maternal deaths documented in the...

Behavioral healthcare access in community health centers up 40%

by Sara Heath

The number of behavioral health visits to community health centers soared by nearly 40 percent between 2018 and 2022, but if these care sites are to continue to meet patient demand, they’ll need...

Selecting the Right Online Appointment Scheduling Tools for Pediatrics

by Sara Heath

The patient access team at Nicklaus Children’s Health System knew it would have a lot of needs as it shopped around for a digital self-scheduling option. The Miami-based hospital system serves a pediatric population, 60 percent of...

Top Patient Engagement Challenges Affecting Rural Healthcare

by Sara Heath

In a challenging industry landscape like medicine, the topic of rural healthcare stands out for its complexity. Those complexities can affect patient engagement efforts, in particular, and can stymie provider efforts to support care...

How Family Physicians Can Solve US Maternal Health Problems

by Sara Heath

It’s not a secret that healthcare is staring down a maternal mortality problem. But what might be less known is the critical role family physicians can play in ameliorating it. “This country has a lot of work to do on...

Does Broad PA Scope of Practice Impact Patient Safety & Malpractice?

by Sara Heath

A new study led by researchers affiliated with the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) showed that expanding physician assistant/associate (PA) scope of practice does not negatively impact...

Updated HHS Health Equity Action Plan Focuses on Care Access

by Sara Heath

HHS has unveiled the 2023 update to its Health Equity Action Plan, hitting key points like childhood health and well-being, equitable access to care, and maternal and infant health equity, among other...

Patient Clinical Needs, Provider Skill Set Misalign 57% of the Time

by Sara Heath

“It’s not you, it’s me.” For nearly three in five patients, the clinician they meet with is a bad fit for their current medical needs, according to new Zocdoc data, presenting a...

Half of Transgender Patients Report Bad Patient Experience

by Sara Heath

The patient experience for those who are transgender is still being marred by poor treatment from clinicians and coverage denials from their healthcare payers, according to the US Transgender Survey...

Gender-Affirming Care Access Laws Affect 38% of Trans Youth

by Sara Heath

Nearly two-fifths of trans youth ages 13 to 17 live in a state with legal restrictions to gender-affirming care access, which is the result of 23 states enacting such policies, according to a new KFF...

Preventable Hospitalizations More Common for Black Patients

by Sara Heath

Black Medicaid enrollees are more likely to experience a preventable hospitalization than their White counterparts, according to a new report, a trend that researchers at the Urban Institute said...

55% of Rural Orgs Lack Labor & Delivery, Cause Maternity Deserts

by Sara Heath

Maternity deserts are a growing problem in the United States, especially for rural hospitals that have to shutter labor and delivery departments at higher rates than their urban counterparts, according...

Patient Boarding in the ED Soars by A Third at MGH, Harms Experience

by Sara Heath

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) is boarding patients in the emergency department nearly a third more often than it has in the past, marking a serious capacity problem that’s impacting...

Care Coordination Model Increases Primary Care Follow-Up Access

by Sara Heath

The Camden Coalition’s model for care management and care coordination may not have achieved its initial aims of reducing hospital readmissions, but the program was successful in improving...

More Patients Visit NPs & PAs as Usual Source of Care, Primary Care

by Sara Heath

The landscape for people’s usual source of care is changing, with fewer people reporting a regular primary care provider, according to a Fast Facts report from the Employee Benefit Research...