Taking a break from who is hiring and who was hired, we rounded up some reading on the state of the healthcare workforce. Like many things in our lives for the past two years the pandemic has taken a toll on it. The healthcare workforce might be on the top of the list of disruption. With 18% of healthcare workers having left their jobs and another 12% being laid off, what are the solutions for healthcare as a whole? You can’t open a paper, magazine, or watch news and not hear about the crisis that has evolved. Here are some insights and reports.
In The News
ONC-Funded Initiative Expands Diversity Among DC’s Public Health IT Workforce
Zane Networks, LLC (@ZaneNetworks), a healthcare transformation services and solutions company, was selected to be a part of the Public Health Informatics and Technology (PHIT4DC) initiative – funded by a grant from The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). The initiative, which kicked-off in August, 2022 and is now in its second semester, aims to increase diversity in health technology through identifying and educating individuals in D.C. from underrepresented backgrounds in public health, informatics and data science.
Can Employers Afford Not to Care?
The Great Resignation, quiet quitting, and labor hoarding are among the buzzy workplace trends ignited by one common theme: a lack (or perceived lack) of care for employees. MetLife’s (@MetLife) 21st annual U.S. Employee Benefit Trends Study (EBTS) reveals feeling ‘cared for’ at work is a key driver of employee holistic health and happiness, which are strongly connected to employee productivity and job loyalty. Yet the study found nearly half of today’s employees (42%) don’t feel cared for by their employers.
AION Labs, In Continued Partnership with BioMed X, Launches First 2023 Global Call for Applications: Developing Molecular Glues
AION Labs (@AionLabs), a first-of-its-kind innovation lab spearheading the adoption of AI technologies and computational science to solve therapeutic challenges, and German independent research institute BioMed X (@BioMed_X), announced the launch of its first 2023 global call for applications to identify technological and biomedical scientists and inventors to form a new startup at AION Labs’ headquarters in Rehovot, Israel.
From AHCA/NCAL (@ahcancal) – Requiring the Impossible: Nursing Home Staffing Mandates During a Nationwide Labor Shortage Don’t Work
The Biden Administration plans to establish a federal staffing mandate for nursing homes this year. However, 45 states and the District of Columbia already have staffing requirements that exceed the current federal requirements, and more than two-thirds of states have staffing ratios or minimum hours for each resident per day on the books. Due to a nationwide labor shortage, many nursing homes are struggling to find workers to comply with their state’s current requirements. The results are that nursing homes are having to downsize or limit new admissions; seniors must wait longer or widen their search for care; hospitals become overwhelmed with patients who are unable to be discharged; and current nursing home staff are stretched thin.
Survey: Workforce Challenges Cited by CEOs as Top Issue Confronting Hospitals in 2022
Workforce challenges ranked No. 1 on the list of hospital CEOs’ top concerns in 2022, according to the American College of Healthcare Executives’ (@ACHEConnect) annual survey of top issues confronting hospitals. Workforce challenges is a category of concerns introduced to the survey in 2022 to better represent the multitude of workforce-related issues hospitals face. The category includes personnel shortages, which was hospital CEOs’ top-ranked issue in 2021, as well as staff burnout, among other workforce issues.
Survey by The Health Management Academy Reveals Accelerating Use of AI to Overcome Workforce Challenges
Given the severity of labor shortages and staffing constraints facing health systems nationwide, C-suite executives are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to fill gaps and improve productivity, according to a recent survey conducted by The Health Management Academy (The Academy) with support from Outbound AI. Almost half of executives (47.5%) report their health system is currently using AI solutions for the workforce, while all others (52.5%) report their health system is currently evaluating or considering AI solutions for the workforce.
To Read
5 Indicators your HIT Staffing Partner is a Good One – By Anthony Angelo, Director of Staffing Services, CereCore(@CereCore) – If you know much about the demand for healthcare information technology (HIT) talent, then you know there’s not enough of it to go around. Healthcare organizations everywhere are trying to locate and recruit this talent – some with more success than others. I’m involved with recruiting HIT talent, and I have some insights to share about how HIT staffing works versus how it could be better. Allow me to state my position and see if you agree.
Report: More Physicians Are Taking Short-Term Locum Tenens Assignments
CHG Healthcare (@CHGHealthcare), the nation’s largest provider of locum tenens services, released its 2023 State of Locum Tenens Report, an overview of trends in today’s short-term physician staffing landscape. Highlighting key industry insights, the report shows a significant increase in the number of physicians taking locum tenens assignments, that physicians are testing short-term roles earlier in their careers, and that healthcare organizations are planning on increasing their use of locum tenens assignments to fill critical roles.
Resources
Staffing Resource Center
MGMA
Twitter: @MGMA
With physician burnout on the rise and engagement on the decline, it can feel like there’s nothing you can do to combat the staffing shortage impacting the healthcare industry. Check out their list of best resources to help you restore your staffing levels and make it through the twilight of this pandemic. You can do this, and we’re here to help.
2022 Healthcare Workforce Rescue Package
All In WellBeing First for Healthcare
Twitter: @AllIn4WellBeing
Two years into a global pandemic, healthcare team members are in crisis. Leaders are bombarded with competing messages about how to support them and address workforce shortages. A group of experts in collaboration with the National Academy of Medicine identified the top five actions leaders should take to support team members now. These evidence-based actions can be initiated within 3 months and build a foundation for a long-term system well-being strategy.
Remote Workforce and HIPAA
Twitter: @HIPAASecureNow
Whether a change in your business structure came about from the pandemic, or it just makes more sense for your team, remote work is the norm for many more professionals today than it was in years past.
If you’re in healthcare, this means that you need to factor in the HIPAA component as well as cybersecurity to protect you, the business, and your patients.