physician shortages

The closure of Diagnostic Clinic Medical Group highlights the growing shortages of care options for Florida residents. The closures will impact an estimated 30,000 patients, an insurance provider says.

The state awarded USF $5 million in recurring funds to create the Florida Center for Behavioral Health Workforce. Millions of Floridians live in an area where mental health professionals are sparse.

The measure, a priority of Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, next heads to the House floor. The Senate version has already passed.

The $114 million plan designates four pilot facilities linked to medical schools in Tampa, Jacksonville, Miami and Gainesville to address a state shortage of mental health professionals.

Politicians keep talking about fixing primary care shortages. But flawed national data leaves big holes in how to evaluate which policies are effective.

In Rhode Island, safety-net clinics are under new pressures as clinicians retire or burn out. Patients report that it's harder to find care, and they're losing connections to familiar doctors.

Proposals include expanding residency programs to keep doctors in the state and taking steps to divert nonemergent patients from ERs to other facilities. The legislative session begins Jan. 9.

The facility will support clinical trials and “transformative” research, and offer hands-on training for doctors, nurses and med students with the goal of drawing "top-tier" health workers.

A health care package calls for spending nearly $900 million to shift patients away from emergency rooms, offset hospitals’ training costs and help doctors pay off debt, among other things.

A House panel hears a presentation that reported the shortage could affect access to health care if current trends persist, as the supply of physicians could meet only 77% of the projected demand by 2035.