Dr. Raj Miniyar, a Rome pediatrician, opened a new practice in nearby Trion a year ago. That office became the only pediatric practice in Trion, in the center of a rural county in northwest Georgia where 28 percent of children live in poverty. Miniyar says that when he sees a Medicaid patient for an ear…
The Georgia House speaker said Wednesday that while he hasn’t had time to study the new Republican health care plan in Congress, he has initial concerns about it. David Ralston, a Republican from Blue Ridge, told attendees at the Atlanta Press Club that he has some worry that Georgia, as a state that has not…
The frequent “scope of practice’’ bills in the Georgia General Assembly typically cause commotion within the medical industry, pitting health care professional groups against one another. A recent example is legislation to let dental hygienists practice in nursing homes, school clinics and safety-net settings without a dentist being present. In the past, the idea was…
With repeal of the Affordable Care Act looming, the health care world is buffeted by an unusual level of uncertainty. Advocates of the repeal plan say it will be an improvement over the ACA, while defenders of the 2010 health law paint a dire picture of what could come next. Health organizations large and small…
The lawmaker who created Georgia’s new tax credit program for rural hospitals wants to boost the incentives for donors. State Rep. Geoff Duncan, a Cumming Republican, has introduced a House bill that would raise the tax credit from 70 percent to 90 percent for individuals and corporations who donate money to rural hospitals. Duncan’s original…
A consulting firm criticized over its contracting with rural hospitals on a new state program said Monday it will donate any net income from that work to charitable groups supporting rural health care. The firm, Portage Charity Advisors, created the Georgia HEART program to help struggling rural hospitals gain donations from individuals and companies under…
A South Georgia hospital has been ranked as the most financially stressed among 49 rural hospitals eligible for a new state tax credit program. State officials, after reviewing facility financials, have ranked Irwin County Hospital in Ocilla as the neediest among eligible rural hospitals. The program, created during the 2016 session of the Georgia General…
The Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, which already has a campus in suburban Atlanta, is moving to develop another med school location in Georgia. PCOM has signed an agreement with Colquitt Regional Medical Center in Moultrie, in southwest Georgia, to produce a feasibility plan and present it to an accreditation committee for osteopathic colleges. The…
The chief executive of two financially stressed hospitals in southwest Georgia looks forward to the promise of donations under a new state tax credit program. “The tax credit legislation is a lifeline for us, helping us keep essential services in our rural communities,’’ said Kim Gilman, who runs Phoebe Worth Hospital in Sylvester and Southwest…
Three prominent state lawmakers — siding with another influential colleague — say there’s no need for rural hospitals to hire consultants to obtain donations under a new Georgia program. The program, created by a law passed during the 2016 session of the General Assembly, allows tax credits for those who donate to struggling rural hospitals….