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Rural America is facing a rising physician staffing shortage. About 60% of respondents said losing local cardiology access would have significant consequences, and 40% said patients already have a significant unmet need for cardiac care. Family medicine capacity was the biggest insufficient area, where staffing levels were fragile according to 68% of respondents. Other areas of concern were internal medicine (76%), general surgery (61%) and OB/GYN (61%), according to a 2026 MGMA survey.

A new survey put a spotlight on the staffing issues rural cardiology practices and health systems face on a daily basis. 

Ben Franklin money

A little more than half a year after establishing a healthcare affordability lab, Yale University is out with freshly detailed policy prescriptions for cutting costs without compromising care.

quality improvement

The agency said the move comes after a May 2026 audit of Medicaid outcomes found that states are motivated more by a desire to check boxes than to ensure patients are healthy. Once completed, the new framework will ideally align financial incentives with care outcomes. 

The DaVinci robotic surgical system has been very successful in expanding the adoption of less invasive robotic surgical techniques. The FDA is now developing new standards for how it will review these systems as more come up for regulatory review.

The 50-page document outlines what the FDA would like to see as vendors submit their technologies for regulatory review. It covers robotic systems of all types, including those used for various cardiac procedures. 

AI Patient Engagement Patient Intake Animated Image

Patient engagement expert John Deutsch says consumers are already used to “frictionless experiences” when it comes time to catch a ride or buy a coffee. Can AI bring healthcare up to speed?

ChatGPT chatbot

The bots were seemingly only partially successful, the incidents are still being investigated. OpenAI said it has been in contact with the government about the unusual activity, which happened over the summer.