News stories tagged with "doctor-shortage"

(02/02/09) On Friday we reported on growing concerns that the North Country's healthcare system could unravel. The region faces a worsening doctor shortage. Hospitals and nursing homes are threatened with deep cuts in government reimbursements. This morning, we look at a new pilot project designed to reinvent the way medical services are provided in this rural part of New York. Creators of the Adirondack Medical Home Pilot hope they can deliver better preventative care at a lower cost. Brian Mann has our story.

(01/27/09) An oral surgeon working in Ticonderoga says job cuts at Moses-Ludington Hospital could affect the quality of healthcare in the community. The claims come a week after Inter-Lakes Health announced that fifteen workers would be laid off. Brian Mann has details.

(01/20/09) The largest healthcare provider in Ticonderoga is slashing fifteen jobs and cutting six more positions back to part-time. Inter-Lakes healthcare made the announcement yesterday, citing "unprecedented financial challenges" at Moses-Ludington Hospital and the Heritage Commons nursing home. As Brian Mann reports, the cuts come as health care providers across the North Country brace for more cuts from Albany.

(01/08/09) Governor Paterson says the state has to reform its healthcare system, to provide better coverage to more people at a lower cost. That's an ambitious goal. State officials plan to test-drive the state's new health model here in the North Country. A $9.5 million pilot project will launch next summer, linking hospitals and clinics from Glens Falls to Plattsburgh to Saranac Lake. Brian Mann has details.

(01/07/09) The Glens Falls Post-Star is reporting this morning that Governor Paterson could unveil a new rural healthcare initiative in the Adirondack Park today as part of his State of the State address. But the Governor is also expected to push for nearly a billion dollars in cuts to Medicaid reimbursements for hospitals and nursing homes statewide. That plan would cost the Uihlein nursing and rehabilitation facility in Lake Placid roughly a quarter million dollars in state aid. As Brian Mann reports, the nursing home's operators say that could force them to close their doors for good.

(11/13/08) North Country Public Radio is airing a new series of interviews called "A Fresh Start." We've asked some of the country's most compelling thinkers to make recommendations for president-elect Barack Obama. Healthcare is one of the top items on the national agenda. There are tens of millions of Americans without insurance. Many experts say skyrocketing healthcare costs are crippling the country's industries. Dr. John Rugge is head of the Hudson Headwaters Health Network, based in Glens Falls. He told Brian Mann that the government will have to play a bigger role in healthcare, reinventing the industry and picking up more of the costs.

(10/23/08) New York's Health Commissioner toured the North Country this week, talking about the doctor shortage that continues to plague the region's hospitals and clinics. A new program is being launched next summer, designed to train new doctors to work in rural areas. But as Brian Mann reports, healthcare experts say that won't be enough.

(10/09/07) One of the Adirondacks' biggest health care providers says two private insurance companies have agreed to pay more for basic health services in the region. Hudson Headwaters CEO John Rugge says the deal was reached on Monday. Healthcare experts have blamed the low reimbursement rates for a growing doctor shortage in the North Country. But according to Rugge, at least three other companies are still holding out for lower rates. If an agreement isn't reached this week, Hudson Headwaters clinics across the Adirondacks could stop accepting patients covered by certain brands of private insurance. Rugge told Brian Mann that the impasse could affect hundreds of people, some with serious medical conditions.

(06/04/01) Martha Foley talks with Richard Merchant, new director of the Northern Area Health Education Center, about the North Country's doctor and nurse shortage and the organization's efforts to encourage local young people to pursue careers in health, and then come back home to practice.