Many Oklahoma hospitals said they simply don’t train enough physicians within their teaching programs to meet their demand for surgeons, primary care physicians, nurses and therapists.
As a result, hospitals and health systems have to recruit scores of nurses and physicians from outside the state each year to fill needed positions, OU Medical System President and CEO Chuck Spicer told KOCO. OU Medical System is based in Oklahoma City.
Reducing Medicaid reimbursement rates for providers would pose new challenges for hospitals that rely heavily on recruiting to keep their facilities adequately staffed. Without the additional funds, hospital leaders said they won’t have the cash to offer physicians appealing incentive packages.
“We’re not going to be as competitive to attract those physicians from the Mayo Clinics of the world and from the MD Andersons of the world, if we don’t have a stable healthcare economy,” Mr. Spicer said.
The proposed Medicaid reimbursement rate cuts take effect June 1.
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