Iowa news Average wait time in an Iowa emergency room? 123 minutes Hospitals in the Des Moines metro are encouraging people to avoid emergency rooms, if possible, this summer and go to an urgent care clinic for less severe illnesses and injuries. The message comes as hospitals nationwide deal with

Iowa news Emergency rooms in central Iowa overwhelmed, longer wait times anticipated Emergency rooms across central Iowa are overwhelmed right now. Between non-emergency patients, summer season traumas and more-severe illnesses in patients, emergency departments are facing busy waiting rooms. Patients can expect longer waits depending on the amount of emergency

Iowa news Iowa nursing homes got more funding from lawmakers to stem rampant closures. Will it help? After an increase in nursing home closures across Iowa driven by months of severe workforce shortages and rising inflation, industry officials say additional appropriations from state lawmakers this year will be a boon

Iowa news Iowa ranked third in number of hospitals reporting patient services losses Rural hospitals nationwide are taking losses on patient services, meaning insurers aren’t paying enough to cover the cost of care delivery, according to a report from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform. Losses on patient

Iowa news UnityPoint Clinic hopes to provide additional prenatal care through new midwife services As part of the clinic’s goal to increase and expand prenatal services in Muscatine, UnityPoint Clinic OB/GYN – Mulberry has hired Melissa Irmen to provide midwife services. Irmen completed her undergraduate nursing education at St. Ambrose

Iowa news Study finds 22 Iowa hospitals at risk of closure There are 646 rural hospitals at risk of closure due to financial issues, comprising around 30% of all U.S. rural hospitals, according to the Center for Healthcare Quality & Payment Reform. Twenty-two of those hospitals are in Iowa. The

Iowa news Opinion: we must keep our physician assistants in state House File 424, which was recently signed into law, will remove unnecessary burdens weighing down health care teams, paving the way for expanded patient care in the state. In the past, physician assistants must have had a legal agreement

Iowa news A Des Moines-area health coalition is empowering Black women’s health Organizations like Black Women 4 Health Living are empowering women to take control of their health. The Des Moines-based organization hosts a monthly Black Women’s Health Coalition to link women with resources. It offers resources like health and

Iowa news Mary Greeley’s Sprecher among 55 patient safety experts to know Jo-el Sprecher, patient experience and safety director at Mary Greeley Medical Center, was honored in Becker’s 2023 “patient safety experts to know” list. Sprecher helps senior leadership with the development and operationalization of strategic plans for patient safety

Iowa news Under new Iowa law, physician assistants no longer require supervision of physician A new Iowa law aims to help health care worker shortages in rural areas. Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the bill Wednesday at Washington County Hospitals and Clinics. The law no longer requires physician assistants to be

Iowa news Second candidate announced for vice president for medical affairs, Carver College of Medicine dean A University of Iowa search committee has announced the second finalist for the next vice president for medical affairs and dean of the Carver College of Medicine. Mark Rosenblatt is executive dean of the

Iowa news UI study: rural Iowa hospitals are losing birthing centers at ‘striking’ rate A University of Iowa study finds some pregnant women in rural Iowa quit getting prenatal care when their local hospital closes their birthing center, even if prenatal care is still available. The study looked at the