近距离内射合集

The New Mexico Cancer Center鈥檚 urology department might shut down if it cannot be adequately staffed in the coming months.

In April, a urologist left and another is expected to depart in July, leaving the New Mexico Cancer Center with no urologists, CEO Barbara McAneny said in a phone interview.

鈥淲hen there is a shortage in any specialty, doctors feel overwhelmed trying to help those who need them,鈥� she said, adding that the physicians left because of the 鈥渕edical malpractice environment.鈥� 

During a May 6 earnings call, Ardent Health Chief Financial Officer Alfred Lumsdaine said New Mexico is a tough environment for doctors when it comes to dealing with medical malpractice. Ardent Health is the parent company of the Lovelace Health System.

鈥淚ts become very difficult to recruit positions in the state of New Mexico,鈥� he said.

From 2024 to 2025, New Mexico saw about a 12.5% decrease in practicing urologists, from 63 to 55, according to the American Urological Association.

In an attempt to bring in more doctors, in March, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a medical malpractice reform bill into law that Lumsdaine said he was 鈥渆ncouraged鈥� by.

This will create a multi-tiered cap on punitive damages in medical malpractice cases and increase the legal threshold for punitive damages to be awarded in medical malpractice cases once it takes effect on Wednesday, the Journal previously reported.

The new law could encourage more urologists to come, McAneny said.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we work so hard to get that (law) in because, you know, punitive damages in any state other than New Mexico are pretty much like a criminal statute; like somebody decided that they would use their medical license to do harm. Like nobody does that,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut they offer punitive damages for anything that goes wrong and the doctors never intend to cause harm. So that really scares a lot of doctors and it鈥檚 offensive to them and insulting.鈥�

One urologist decided to take another job before the bill became law while the other left, McAneny said, because 鈥渉e knows it鈥檚 going to take years for the climate to change, it鈥檚 going to take years for the rates that they pay for medical malpractice insurance to go down 鈥� and they don鈥檛 trust that New Mexico is going to stay the course and keep this law as it is.鈥�

For now, McAneny said the plan is for the department to 鈥渒eep things going through November鈥� as the center recruits for urologists. On Thursday, she added, the center had a verbal agreement with one 鈥渢o come fill in.鈥�

鈥淲e are committed to providing services to the people of this state,鈥� she said.

鈥楢 backlog for New Mexicans鈥�

The New Mexico Care Center is an independent, physician-owned practice in Albuquerque and Gallup that has specialized in comprehensive cancer care for over four decades, according to its website.

McAneny said the urology department opened up four years ago because 鈥渦rologists are really important in the treatment of prostate cancer, bladder cancer and kidney cancer.鈥� When asked what it costs to run the department, she said she would not comment. 

鈥淚鈥檝e always wanted to be able to offer the full range of services, which includes surgery as well as radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, supportive case, genetics and other things,鈥� McAneny said. 鈥淪o when urologists wanted to join us, I jumped at the opportunity.鈥�

While she said she did not know the number of urology cancer patients (there are about 1,000 urology patients), the figure has been increasing.

鈥淚 can鈥檛 tell you how many new patients per year because it鈥檚 a little different,鈥� McAneny said. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e taking care of someone with an ongoing cancer, you see them year after year after year. If they see somebody for a vasectomy, they鈥檙e one-and-done. So I don鈥檛 know how many are ongoing patients (there are) right now.鈥�

She said there are more people who want to see a urologist than 鈥渨e can fit in the hours of the day.鈥�

Santa Fe resident Eric Radack, a prostate cancer patient and healthcare advocate, said he was not informed about the possibility of the urologic cancer department shutting down or that the cancer center was looking for a physician to keep things afloat.

鈥淭hey never mentioned rehiring or (said), 鈥楥heck back with us鈥� or, 鈥楾hings are in transition,鈥欌�� Raddack said.

Instead, he said he was referred to University of New Mexico Health.

McAneny acknowledged the New Mexico Cancer Center was referring patients to other medical facilities.

鈥淲e鈥檙e making sure that the patients can be managed by other people,鈥� she said. 鈥淔or example, if someone has prostate cancer or bladder cancer, we鈥檒l have our medical oncologist managing them. People who are doing benign urology that we鈥檙e not operating on, we will either have our temporary urologist take care of them or we will try to refer them to the other urologists in the community.鈥�

If the cancer center can鈥檛 find a urologist and has to close the department, people like Raddack will need to figure out where to get diagnosed and treated. Wherever they go, those places will deal with higher patient loads, he said.

This will mean, Raddack added, that there is going to be 鈥渁 backlog for New Mexicans, for men with prostate cancer, men and women with bladder cancer.鈥�

鈥淭here are already long waiting times for biopsies, which can be absolutely crucial,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f there's cancer and you have to wait six months for a biopsy (then) the cancer can change during that time.鈥�

Gregory R.C. Hasman covers healthcare and the economy. He can be reached at ghasman@abqjournal.com or 505-823-3820.