The Latest from Vital Signs: Rural Health Funding Gets a Boost, Concierge and Direct Primary Care Trends, and the Importance of Daily Huddles to Drive Efficiency

Vital Signs is a monthly newsletter from AdvancedMD highlighting the healthcare industry’s top trends and insights. It’s our way of helping you stay informed.

The healthcare industry has already seen a whirlwind of information in 2026. Last month, we learned The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has distributed billions of dollars to rural health funding. The Medical Economics Annual Physician Report revealed that a third of physicians say their practice’s financial stability was worse in 2025 than the previous year. Meanwhile, a Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) survey found that 50% of medical leaders say denials and appeals are their biggest revenue leak.

Here’s a recap of everything we learned:

• Healthcare Dive reported The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has distributed $10 billion in rural health funding. According to the report, “Half of the funding for 2026 was distributed equally to all 50 states, while the remaining amounts were allocated at the CMS’ discretion based on states’ rurality and proposed plans for the funds.”

• Physicians Practice reported on a recent study that found the number of concierge and direct primary care (DPC) practices increased more than 80% between 2018 and 2023.

• The Medical Economics Annual Physician Report revealed more than a third of physicians say the financial state of their practice was worse in 2025 compared to the previous year. When asked about their biggest challenges, 82% cited inadequate reimbursements and 79% said the burden of paperwork and quality metrics.

• The American Medical Association (AMA) highlighted the importance of daily team huddles to help clinical operations be more efficient and offered key aspects of a successful huddle, including: keeping it short, focusing on action plans for the day, and highlighting any needed workflow adjustments.

• For practices adding new staff, Physicians Practice published a helpful guide with onboarding tips, including: what an employee’s first day should feel like, how to keep the first week from turning into information overload, and best practices for onboarding new clinicians to the EHR.

• Another helpful guide from Physicians Practice provided recommendations to help providers fix medical billing issues, including, “Use claim scrubbers to catch preventable denials before they go out.”

• A survey of medical group leaders conducted by Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) revealed that nearly 50% of survey respondents reported denials and appeals are their biggest revenue cycle leak.

• According to Medical Economics, a report from a non-profit patient safety organization identified “Poor water quality during instrument sterilization” as one of the top ten healthcare technology hazards in 2026.

• An American Medical Association (AMA) survey of medical societies across all 50 states and the District of Columbia revealed the top public health priorities for 2026 included: vaccination policy, reproductive health, tobacco and e-cigarettes, and end-of-life care.

Vital Signs is brought to you by AdvancedMD. It’s our way of helping you stay informed on the trends and insights that shape our industry. Each month, we publish a roundup of healthcare headlines so that you are in-the-know when it comes to the topics that matter most to you, your staff, and your patients.