April 9 – WASHINGTON – Physician-Led Healthcare for America (PHA) commends Senator James Lankford (R-OK) for his leadership, along with eight originals, in introducing the “Physician Led and Rural Access to Quality Care Act.”
The critical legislation (S. 1390) aims to address the growing healthcare crisis in rural America by empowering physician-led hospitals to open hospitals in healthcare deserts and granting grandfathered physician-led hospitals the ability to expand and serve communities in need.
Rural healthcare is at a breaking point. With nearly 700 rural hospitals under threat of closure, millions of Americans face long drives and wait times with no viable care options. Every minute matters, and a 2019 study by Altarum found that the economic impact of time spent traveling and waiting for health care costs $89 billion each year. The introduction of the Physician Led Access to Rural Care Act comes as a much-needed step toward revitalizing access to high-quality, cost-effective healthcare in these underserved regions.
“The daily headlines are impossible to ignore,” said PHA President-elect Carlos Cardenas, MD. “Healthcare costs are skyrocketing, rural hospitals are shuttering at alarming rates and quality and patient satisfaction continue to decline. The status quo is failing us. It’s time to revitalize our healthcare system with a proven solution: physician-led hospitals.”
This game-changing legislation was reintroduced in the U.S. House earlier this month, and this marks the first introduction in the U.S. Senate, reflecting a shared recognition of the urgent need to restore healthcare access. The bill would lift outdated restrictions on physician-led hospitals, enabling them to expand and establish new facilities in rural communities, so long as there is not an established critical access hospital in their community.
PHA President Joseph Alhadeff, MD added: “The stakes for rural healthcare have never been higher. Meanwhile, consolidation is strangling our healthcare system and limiting patient choice. Physician-led hospitals are one of the last safeguards against this monopolization, injecting much-needed competition into the marketplace. ‘The Physician Led and Rural Access to Quality Care Act’ is a bold step toward addressing these challenges.”
PHA proudly supports this legislation and urges Congress to prioritize its swift passage to deliver quality, affordable care to rural communities nationwide.
About Physician-Led Healthcare for America
Founded in 2001, Physician-Led Healthcare for America serves as the stakeholder voice for physician-led hospitals and other physician-led entities that focus on the patient-physician relationship.
Visit www.physicianled.us to learn more.