Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is doubling the staffing help that the state is sending to hospitals grappling with shortages of nurses, respiratory therapists and other workers amid the latest COVID-19 surge. The staffing help expands the supply of temporary workers that the state is providing from 1,300 to 2,800, Kemp told a news conference Monday….
Across Georgia on Wednesday, dozens of hospitals were reporting severe ER crowding and various forms of “diversion ” — sending patients elsewhere due to capacity problems. The Delta variant of COVID-19, sweeping through the state, is rapidly increasing case numbers and hospitalizations. But exacerbating the current patient crunch is the ever-worsening shortage of health care…
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article reflected figures from another news organization that have since been revised. As the Delta variant drives a relentless COVID-19 surge, Georgia’s vaccination rate has picked up steam. A Washington Post analysis, based on CDC data, reported Tuesday that the state’s rate of new doses administered climbed 26…
Plenty of shopping options, plus lower prices. That’s usually a winning formula for consumers. And that scenario describes how Georgia’s health insurance exchange is shaping up for individuals and families looking for coverage in 2022, according to initial filings by health insurers to the state’s insurance department. The filings were obtained by GHN through an…
To describe the current COVID surge, hospital leaders in South Georgia are using strong words, such as ‘‘scary,’’ ‘‘fear’’ and “overwhelmed.’’ The state’s COVID-19 map shows most of the hottest spots for the latest case surge are in the southern part of Georgia. And some hospital officials in the region say the impact is worse…
UnitedHealthcare and Northside Hospital have signed a contract to bring all of Northside’s Atlanta-area hospitals into the insurer’s network. The two organizations announced their new deal Monday. The new contract restores United members’ access to Northside’s Lawrenceville and Duluth hospitals, which will also be part of United’s Medicare Advantage plans. The two hospitals had been out…
Georgia’s COVID case numbers jumped by 4,800 in the state figures reported Thursday, continuing a recent upswing that’s apparently fueled by the Delta variant. “It is believed that the Delta variant is highly prevalent throughout Georgia,” said Dr. Charles Ruis, health director in the Southwest Health District, which is based in Albany. “The best way…
Hospitals treating more patients and bracing for even more. Mask requirements returning. The push for vaccinations getting stronger, with more workers facing mandatory shots. The unsettling rise in COVID cases has prompted a flurry of virus-related activity this week across the state and the nation. Take Central Georgia. A Public Health spokesman there sent out…
Just days before a contract cutoff date, UnitedHealthcare and Northside Hospital are moving toward a deal that would keep three of the Atlanta-based system’s hospitals in the insurer’s network. An agreement also would bring Northside’s hospitals in Lawrenceville and Duluth back into the insurer’s fold after five months out of network, a UnitedHealthcare official said….
Georgia’s tab for providing staffing help to hospitals and nursing homes in the pandemic has grown to $434 million. The payments have gone to Jackson Healthcare, a private firm based in Alpharetta. The company, after getting a no-bid contract, has supplied medical staff, from doctors to nurses to respiratory therapists, to dozens of hospitals and…