Doctors Created a Primary Care Clinic as Their Former Hospital Struggled

July 19, 2023

(CBS News) – Although it’s rare, if not a first, for physicians to lead their own [Federally Qualified Health Centers], he said, it’s not uncommon to see FQHCs started by community groups, and in Gallup “the physicians are so dedicated to the community” that they’re like a community group themselves. Unlike rural hospitals, which are increasingly being purchased by private equity firms and prioritizing lucrative specialties to increase profits, these health centers must offer primary care regardless of patients’ ability to pay and be overseen by a board made up primarily of patients. But while clinics provide important primary care services, researchers note that they struggle to fill the gaps in specialty and emergency care left by hospital closures. (Read More)