For Kathy Jossey, the idea that Elbert Memorial Hospital could one day close its doors is troubling both professionally and personally. Born and raised in Elberton — billed as “the Granite Capital of the World” — she has a long history with Elbert County’s only hospital. Jossey retired in May 2016 after serving as a…
A hotly disputed bill to ease restrictions on Cancer Treatment Centers of America’s facility in Newnan was defeated in a House committee vote Thursday. The Health and Human Services Committee voted 13-8 against Senate Bill 31, which would have relaxed the state’s limits on bed capacity and the percentage of Georgia patients served by the…
Forsyth County is ranked as Georgia’s healthiest county for the sixth straight year. The 2018 County Health Rankings, released Wednesday, again showed affluent suburban counties as Georgia’s healthiest. After Forsyth, which is northeast of Atlanta, the next four are Oconee, Cherokee, Fayette, and Gwinnett counties. They are followed by Columbia, Cobb, Harris, Paulding and Coweta. Those…
Separate bills seeking to improve Georgia health care cruised through legislative panel hearings Thursday, with the sponsors working together to head off any possible conflicts on details that might prevent approval. The Senate Health and Human Services Committee unanimously approved a House bill focused on boosting rural health care in Georgia. House Bill 769, sponsored…
The dust has settled on a major legislative deadline. Yet much uncertainty surrounds the many health care bills that still have a shot at passage in the Georgia General Assembly this year. Which proposals end up passing both Houses, or falling by the wayside, will be revealed as the state’s legislative version of March Madness…
The original proposal would have let advanced nurses work more independently in rural areas of Georgia. But by the time Senate Bill 351 passed a legislative committee Tuesday, the rural focus had been dropped entirely. The Senate Health and Human Services Committee approved legislation relating to advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), yet it was much narrower…
Dr. Patrick Pulliam, a Stockbridge pediatrician, moved to a new, bigger medical office last year. The new site is in the same town as the old one, and in fact the two locations are only a half-mile apart. But the switch is costing Pulliam money. He’s getting paid substantially less to treat Medicaid patients in…
A House committee Tuesday approved high-profile legislation to boost rural health care in Georgia. House Bill 769 would take several steps, including easing the creation of ‘’micro-hospitals,’’ with 24/7 care and a small number of beds, to replace full-scale hospitals that close. It also would allow grants to help rural physicians afford medical malpractice insurance,…
Problems with retaining good employees. Difficulty in making new hires. Putting expansion plans on hold. Those issues would spell trouble for any organization. For the state’s community health centers, that predicament stems from what’s happening – or rather, what’s not happening – in the U.S. Congress. Funding for the federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) remains…
Telemedicine is expanding in Georgia, yet there’s still ‘’a long way to go’’ before it reaches its full potential, the state’s Public Health commissioner said Tuesday. Dr. Patrick O’Neal said access to health care in rural Georgia ‘’is a challenge for all of us.” But telemedicine, he said, is often the only way for many…