News: HHS awards $293 million to primary healthcare clinicians and students

Nearly $300 million in awards could help provide scholarships and loan repayment services for healthcare providers in an effort to expand the workforce, according to a press release from  the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Revenue Cycle Advisor reported.

The announcement comes close on the heels of a survey showing that 70% of physicians are so disillusioned they are unwilling to recommend the profession to their children or other family members.

The awards will be given through the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and Nurse Corps programs which provide funds to providers in exchange for working in areas of the country where residents have limited access to healthcare. According to the press release, an estimated 13 million patients currently receive care from the more than 12,500 NHSC and Nurse Corps clinicians working across the country.

“In addition to providing essential medical and dental care, these clinicians are on the front lines helping to fight pressing public health issues, like the growing opioid epidemic,” said HRSA administrator George Sigounas, MS, PhD, in the press release.

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in Revenue Cycle Advisor. To read about the recent survey of physicians, click here.