<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2HXK3O_0w4yCqFK00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2HXK3O_0w4yCqFK00" width="980" height="653" ><figcaption>David Damuth</figcaption></figure><p>Recently, health care in Colorado has become a bit of a hot-button issue.</p><p>One topic that’s been discussed for some time now is the controversial "<a href="https://943thex.com/colorado-hospitals-have-made-billions-over-controversial-fee/">facility fee</a>" that is tacked onto the bill for outpatient care.</p><p>It was found recently that over the past six years, hospitals in Colorado have made over $13 billion from the fee alone, and many are questioning how necessary it is.</p><p>With that being said, Colorado is fortunately one of the best states in the country for health care overall.</p><p>U.S. News ranked it as the 12th best state for it overall, along with placing it fourth for quality.</p><p>However, a major story in the health care world in both Colorado and the United States at large is the shortage of physicians.</p><p>It’s been an ongoing problem with no clear solutions in sight.</p><p>With that being said, let’s take a look at some of the numbers to see how Colorado is doing in this situation.</p><h2>Why Is There a Physician Shortage?</h2><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2zEIzI_0w4yCqFK00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2zEIzI_0w4yCqFK00" width="1600" height="1067" ><figcaption>Canva</figcaption></figure><p>There area a couple of different factors that have driven the physician shortage in the United States.</p><p><a href="https://time.com/6199666/physician-shortage-challenges-solutions/">According to Time Magazine</a>, many current physicians are nearing or at retirement age, and the fact that the average medical student comes out of school $200,000 in debt, many younger people are starting to not look towards the field.</p><p>Not only that, but getting into medical school is difficult given the extreme selectivity of many programs.</p><p>Plus, many physicians are experiencing burnout. The pandemic really seemed to exacerbate these issues for a lot of people as well, who routinely had to work overtime for less pay than one would expect. </p><h2>Where Does Colorado Stand in the Physician Shortage?</h2><p><a href="https://kyruushealth.com/the-primary-care-physician-shortage-by-state/">Kyruus Health</a> created a ranking of states based on the number of Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs)</p><p>Colorado sits right in the middle of the pack at 25th, with 119 HPSAs throughout the state.</p><p>California tops the list with the most HSPAs, with 626. The state with the least amount of HSPAs is Delaware. It would seem the larger the state, the more HSPAs there will be.</p><p>However, three states stand out as the ones who have the worst physician to patient ratio in the country: Mississippi, New Mexico, and Louisiana.</p><h2>16 Colorado Hospitals Earn ‘A’ Grades for Patient Safety</h2><p>Colorado is home to more than 300 hospitals around the state. Which ones do the best job keeping you safe during your stay? HospitalSafetyGrade.org rates hospitals according to problems with surgery, safety, practices to prevent errors, and an evaluation of Doctors, nurses, and staff. Below are the 16 hospitals in Colorado that received an "A" rating.</p><h2>Newsweek's Top 10 Hospitals in Colorado for 2024</h2><p>Each year, Newsweek creates a list of the best hospitals in both the United States and the world. However, they also crunch the numbers and look at the best in-state hospitals around the country.</p><p>Take a look <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/rankings/americas-best-state-hospitals-2024/americas-best-state-hospitals-2024-colorado">at their rankings</a> of Colorado's best hospitals.</p></div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

Where Does Colorado Stand in United States Health Care Shortage?

Recently, health care in Colorado has become a bit of a hot-button issue. One topic that’s been discussed for some time now is the controversial \"facility fee\" that is tacked onto the bill for outpatient care. It was found recently that over the past six years, hospitals in Colorado...

Recently, health care in Colorado has become a bit of a hot-button issue. One topic that’s been discussed for some time now is the controversial "facility fee" that is tacked onto the bill for outpatient care. It was found recently that over the past six years, hospitals in Colorado...