Our local hospital here by me is one of the best in the state, but there’s high turnover, especially at the pain clinic. My nephrologist has been there for a couple of decades, and I recently learned that appointments to see doctors are routinely triple-booked. The new hospital was built maybe 15 years ago, and it’s my understanding that they’re still in debt.
Medical staff are severely overworked, especially in rural areas where expertise may be lacking, along with funds, and in areas with high Medicaid numbers. When people don’t have to pay, they go in for every little thing.
Our local hospital in rural NH is in the same situation.
And I know Medicaid patients use the ERs as their PCPs. It’s infuriating.