Doctors, Emergency Medicine, Health Policy, Healthcare Providers

Doctors Are Disappearing From Emergency Rooms as Hospitals Look to Cut Costs

This staffing strategy has permeated hospitals, and particularly emergency rooms, that seek to reduce their top expense: physician labor. While diagnosing and treating patients was once their domain, doctors are increasingly being replaced by nurse practitioners and physician assistants, collectively known as “midlevel practitioners,” who can perform many of the same duties and generate much of the same revenue for less than half of the pay.

Picture of a doctor standing in a hospital hallway with arms crossed holding a stethoscope
Animal Health, Doctors, Rural Health, Rural Hospitals

Doctors Trained Abroad Want to See You Now 

A handful of states are easing certain licensing requirements, creating programs for foreign-trained doctors to work alongside U.S.-trained ones, reserving residency spots for immigrant health workers and providing help, sometimes including financial aid, for those working to get a U.S. license. States hope the efforts can not only get medical providers to more places where they are needed—particularly underserved rural and urban areas—but also lead to more professionals who speak the same language as and are culturally attuned to those they treat in an ever more diverse America.