rural healthcare

A one-page marketing plan for rural healthcare to attract providers

Providers who choose to work in rural communities are drawn there for very different reasons; the key to effective recruitment rests in appealing to those motivations by Intelliworx Rural healthcare facilities are facing challenging financial times. Many have high operational costs combined with a low volume of patients. Patients in such geographies also tend to be older, more susceptible to chronic illnesses and underinsured. That combination drives up the cost of care while imposing a natural limit on cost recovery and revenue. If we sprinkle in a dose of difficulty with insurance, particularly with reimbursement, and we catch a glimpse of the vexing problem it is to deliver healthcare to rural America. The financial stress is having a compounding effect too. For example, an economic analysis by the USDA found 146 rural hospitals in the U.S. either closed or stopped providing inpatient services between 2005 and 2023. Further, the forecast […]

7 observations showing how rural healthcare is overcoming the provider shortage

Rural healthcare facilities are increasingly turning to nurse practitioners (NPs), international medical graduates (IMGs) and “non-residency” physicians to fill the gaps by Intelliworx They say constraint breeds creativity. When faced with limited resources, leaders find ways to apply those resources more effectively. Constraints tend to produce creative thinking that one might not have considered otherwise. One place we’ve found this to be true is rural healthcare. A persistent shortage of healthcare providers has forced the community, especially in rural areas, to find creative ways to solve this problem. That’s an observation we found woven throughout the 2024 Review of Physician and Advanced Practitioner Recruiting Incentives report. The report, which is the most current edition available, is produced by AMN Healthcare’s Physician Solutions division – formerly known as Merritt Hawkins. It’s compiled from a range of sources including other studies, surveys and most importantly, a “representative sample of the 2,138” provider […]

Many healthcare employers see the struggle to recruit nurses grow

Nurses are the backbone of the healthcare system, yet a dearth of talent means this persistent problem continues to weigh on employers by Intelliworx As it is with providers, healthcare employees everywhere are struggling to attract nurses. That’s according to a new report by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA). Citing an MGMA Stat poll from May 2024, the report says, “22% of medical group leaders say their nurse recruitment and hiring efforts improved in the past year, while the majority (78%) say they have seen little change (43%) or experienced worsened conditions (35%).” The top factor contributing to this healthcare recruiting challenge is a dearth of talent. There simply aren’t enough nurses and it’s hitting rural locations even harder. Why? “While some practice leaders noted a smaller pool of candidates in their rural markets, most respondents pointed to tough competition for qualified candidates from hospitals and larger organizations with […]