Where the Physician Shortage is Headed – and What it Means

March 7, 2025

Where the Physician Shortage is Headed – and What it Means

According to a recent report, the shortfall of physicians could reach as high as 86,000 by the year 2036. NRHA COO Brock Slabach says rural areas are already affected by workforce shortages, with primary care in especially high demand. Subspecialties already experiencing a shortage are bracing for impact as demand for eye care and other categories exacerbate shortfalls.

Act soon to share your perspective in Stroudwater’s physician compensation survey.

Click Here to access the survey

Register Now! NRHA’s 48th Annual Rural Health Conference, Atlanta, GA, May 20 – 23

March 7, 2025

Register Now! NRHA’s 48th Annual Rural Health Conference, Atlanta, GA, May 20 – 23

The National Rural Health Association’s (NRHA’s) 48th Annual Rural Health Conference, 10th Rural Hospital Innovation Summit, and associated events constitute the nation’s largest gathering of rural health pros.

Join NRHA and hundreds of rural health leaders for more than 80 innovative, practical, and cost-saving sessions and much more.

Don’t miss NRHA’s expanded and renamed Rural Health Access Conference May 19 – 20 and Rural Medical Education Conference occurring immediately beforehand on May 20, along with NRHA’s Rural Health Awards ceremony and the CDC Experience tour May 22.

Click Here to Learn More and Register

HRSA Virtual Job Fair for Clinicians, March 12

March 7, 2025

HRSA Virtual Job Fair for Clinicians, March 12

The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) Bureau of Health Workforce regularly holds free online recruitment events that connect career-seeking health care professionals with facilities recruiting in underserved communities.

Join recruiters to learn more about job opportunities, hear details about benefit packages, and find out how you can help underserved communities.

Click Here to prepare, register or update your profile on HRSA’s Health Workforce Connector.

Cost: Free

When: Wednesday, March 12, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. EST

Click Here to Register

Webinar: HRSA Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program for Paraprofessionals – Get Application Help, March 10 (New Date)

March 7, 2025

Webinar: HRSA Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program for Paraprofessionals – Get Application Help, March 10 (New Date)

The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW) will award approximately $10.9 million to up to 29 awardees in this program to enhance community-based training for students preparing to become mental health workers, peer support specialists, and other behavioral health paraprofessionals.

During this 90-minute session, BHW will provide assistance to applicants, including:

  • Public and private institutions of higher learning;
  • Nonprofit organizations;
  • Hospitals;
  • Health centers;
  • Rural health clinics;
  • State, local, and Tribal governments

Cost: Free

When: Monday, March 10, 2:00 p.m. ET

Click Here to View the Notice of Funding Opportunity and access the Zoom link for the March 10 meeting.

Top 5 FAQs: Postdoctoral Training in General, Pediatric, and Public Health Dentistry – HRSA-25-075

March 6, 2025

Top 5 FAQs: Postdoctoral Training in General, Pediatric, and Public Health Dentistry – HRSA-25-075

Q1: If a community-based residency is accredited through an academic center and does not sponsor its own residency, are we eligible to apply for this opportunity?

  • No
  • Affiliated sites of a Commission on Dental Accreditation (DODA) accredited residency are not eligible for this opportunity.

Q2: We have recently applied for CODA accreditation and anticipate approval by the time the grant starts. Are we eligible to apply if we don’t have accreditation yet?

  • After CODA accepts your application, you will receive a formal acknowledgment indicating that you are initially accredited by CODA, and thereby eligible to apply for this funding opportunity. This document should be included in Attachment 1.
  • Note: It can take up to two weeks to get you CODA acknowledgement.

Q3: We’re a residency program accredited through an academic center where residents train at a hospital caring for patients in the outpatient department and the ambulatory surgical center. Does this comply with your eight-week community-based training requirement?

  • No.
  • Rotations at hospital outpatient departments or ambulatory surgical centers do not qualify as community-based ambulatory patient care centers.

Q4: Would community clinics where dental students and residents go on rotations meet the requirement for community-based organization (CBO)? Or must the community-based site be a formal program (such as GPR or other residency) housed primarily at a CBO/

  • A community clinic that is training dental students and/or residents would qualify as the CBO operating a primary care dentistry training program. Applications must indicate that community partners are committed to this partnership, describing what they are obligating to and any in-kind contributions.

Q5: For a two-year program, what is the minimum total number of hours that each trainee must rotate to the CBO each year?

  • Each primary trainee must have at least eight weeks of longitudinal community-based training each year of their training, in either one eight-week or two four-week periods. The rotations must be at least 20 hours per week per trainee. That would be 160 hours per year for each of your residents.

Still Have Questions?

  • Read the full list of FAQs Here
  • Review the Technical Assistance webinar recording Here

Top 5 FAQs: Primary Care Training and Enhancement Residency Training in Street Medicine (PCTE-RTSM), HRS-25-078

March 5, 2025

Top 5 FAQs: Primary Care Training and Enhancement Residency Training in Street Medicine (PCTE-RTSM), HRS-25-078

Q1: Street Medicine is described mostly as an urban activity. Are rural Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs able to apply?

  • Yes. Rural training programs are eligible to apply.
  • The funding opportunity also includes a funding priority for applicants that currently train in rural areas.

Q2: Are we able to rearrange the requirement for two one-month rotations if it doesn’t fit our schedule?

  • There is some flexibility.
  • It will be important to explain in the application narrative how the proposal matches the time commitment and experience that would be provided in two month-long rotations.

Q3: The funding opportunity’s requirements and expectations include developing partnerships. What sort of partnerships might we develop?

  • HRSA anticipates that residency programs will need to partner with organizations that provide services to homeless populations.
  • Such organizations might include Health Care for the Homeless, other training programs, or Legal Aid.
  • Partner organizations should have complementary resources or activities that enhance the training aims of this grant program.

Q4: Some program completers go on to additional GME training, such as fellowship training. If they are doing their fellowship in a Medically Underserved Community (MUC), can they be counted in calculations for the funding preference?

  • No.
  • The funding preference (under 2 of the 3 criteria) depends on the practice location of graduates.
  • GME training happens in a training location, which does not apply for the funding preference.
  • These individuals are included in the total number of graduates but not included in the number of graduates practicing in MUCs.

Q5: Where can I find the application package for the grant?

  • The application can be found on Grants.gov.
  • Select “Package” then “Preview”.
  • Select Download Instructions for the PDF guidance.
  • It also shows the required forms to include in your application.

More Questions?

Check out the full list of FAQs and watch the Technical Assistance webinar recording on the Primary Care Training and Enhancement – Residency Training in Street Medicine Program page.

Click Here for full list of FAQs

Click Here to watch the Technical Assistance webinar

Technical Assistance Webinar: Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program for Paraprofessionals, March 10

March 5, 2025

Technical Assistance Webinar: Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program for Paraprofessionals, March 10

The Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program for Paraprofessionals aims to enhance community-based experiential training for students preparing to become mental health workers, peer support specialists, and other behavioral health paraprofessionals. A special focus is placed on the knowledge and understanding of the specific concerns of children, adolescents, and young adults who have experienced trauma and are at risk for behavioral health disorders.

Join the Technical Assistance webinar to learn more.

Cost: Free

When: Monday, March 10, 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. ET

Click Here to Join the Zoom webinar at 2:00 p.m. ET on March 10

Article: The Million-Dollar Question on CFO’s Minds in 2025

March 4, 2025

Article: The Million-Dollar Question on CFO’s Minds in 2025

As hospital and health systems continue to face challenges like rising costs, reimbursement, emerging from COVID-19 margins and potential policy changes, many CFOs are working to find strategies to ensure financial sustainability while maintaining patient care.

While no one has a crystal ball for answers, Becker’s connected with health system CFOs to discuss how solutions like leveraging automation and alternative payment models can help address certain pressures to ensure long-term industry success.

Click Here to Read Full Article

Webinar: Connecting Patients in the AI Era: Search Strategies that Deliver Results, March 18

March 4, 2025

Webinar: Connecting Patients in the AI Era: Search Strategies that Deliver Results, March 18

By 2028, brands’ organic search traffic is projected to plummet by 50% or more. As generative AI reshapes how patients search for and choose healthcare providers, this shift could mean significant declines in patient acquisition and lost revenue.

Join this webinar to hear healthcare experts explore the challenges AI presents to health systems’ digital visibility and how they can adapt the digital front door to align with patient behaviors – from search engines to social medic and AI assistants.

Key Insights Include:

  • How generative AI is changing consumer behavior and why traditional SEO strategies are no longer enough;
  • How to optimize provider bios with accurate data to improve relevance in AI-driven search environments; and
  • How systems can adapt digital and content strategies to meet evolving patient needs.

Cost: Free

When: Tuesday, March 18, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

Article: The Other Physician Pipeline Problem

March 4, 2025

Article: The Other Physician Pipeline Problem

The Association of American Medical Colleges reported in 2021 that physicians aged 65 and older accounted for 20% of the active patient care workforce, and those between 55 and 64 years old made up 22%. In 2023, physicians 65 and older were 23.4% of the active clinical workforce.

These data show that more than a third of currently active physicians will reach retirement age within the next decade – if they have not already.

This spells a problem not only for patients but also hospitals, many of which are already operating within tight margins. Failing to replace a vacant physician role can heavily cost an organization.

Click Here to Read Full Article