Med school in South Georgia aims to address primary care needs

The first four-year medical school established in South Georgia aims to address the primary care physician shortages in underserved areas of the state. The Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine last week broke ground in Moultrie for its medical school there. PCOM already has a campus in suburban Atlanta, and it hopes to start admitting med…

Hospital group drops fight against Lee County project

Just days after two lawsuits were filed to block a new hospital in Lee County, that legal opposition is already partially unraveling. The Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals — which confirmed Monday that it was suing a state agency for allowing a certificate of need for a hospital in the southwest Georgia county — said Tuesday that it had…

As lawmakers tackle CON process, one case may be fought in court

If, as expected, Georgia House leaders sit down this summer to study the state’s health care regulatory process, they may want to look at what’s happening – or not happening — in southwest Georgia. Lee County has sought to build a new $120 million hospital to compete with what local leaders call a ‘‘monopoly’’ by…

Home medical equipment firms say Blue Cross squeezing them

Piedmont Healthcare isn’t the only entity battling Georgia’s biggest health insurer over reimbursement rates. Companies that supply medical equipment to home care patients say they have seen double-digit percentage rate reductions from the insurer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia. MRS Homecare, based in Albany, says it faces a 17 percent to 33 percent…

Overwhelmed in the ER: A mental health crisis

This article is written by Elly Yu, a WABE reporter, and is published with permission of WABE.  A lot of us have probably been to the hospital emergency room: For a broken bone, an asthma attack, the flu. Chances are, it wasn’t the best experience. Long wait times in crowded lobbies. Doctors hustling back and…

Hard choices in the ‘Granite Capital’: Can the local hospital be saved?

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…

Legislation to help cancer hospital draws vocal opposition 

Senate Bill 31 started out as a relatively simple proposal related to a Georgia health agency board. That bill passed the Georgia Senate overwhelmingly last month. But late Wednesday afternoon, a substitute version of that Senate legislation called for something entirely different: an easing of state restrictions on Cancer Treatment Centers of America. And the sudden switch –…

Spirit of cooperation boosts health care improvement bills

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…

Stewart Webster Hospital

Rural health care bill clears House panel

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,…