Labor shortages and rising costs impact all healthcare providers, but the strain is more acute for rural, independent and community hospitals. Forty-three percent of rural hospitals have negative operating margins, and staff shortages have forced hundreds of organizations to stop offering services such as obstetrics and chemotherapy, according to Chartis Group.
The physician shortage is expected to worsen over the next decade, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges, as providers retire or switch careers. At the same time, the demand for specialty care is projected to…
