For the health industry in 2023 and beyond, staffing issues are expected to continue with increased burnout, executive stress, rising labor costs, professionals leaving and low numbers entering the industry. A shortage of healthcare personnel was a problem before the pandemic and seems to be getting worse. For administration, nurses and providers, they are having to do more with less staff and even executives are under extreme stress. A December study form consulting firm @WittKieffer found that 75%, responses from 233 healthcare executives, reported feeling burned out during the last six months of 2022. Most noted reasons by executives include, unable to overcome challenges at work and they felt significantly less productive. Moreover from @Oracle “The Shortage of Healthcare Workers in 2023” –Study after study finds that up to half of doctors and nurses report feeling stressed, and those rates soared during the pandemic. The burden of administrative work, such as having to constantly update electronic health records, is yet another cause of burnout.
What was and still is the cause? The answer is complex but the healthcare industry experts have been sounding the alarm of upcoming staffing issues for decades. Various factors have contributed to this crisis but the pandemic just exacerbated them. First and foremost, we need more doctors, nurses and other allied employees. With an aging population and healthcare demand only going up, this is a necessity now! Other factors include burnout both mentally and physically, low morale, agingpopulation, professionals opting to pursue more lucrative jobs by contracting or exiting the field entirelyand early retirement. These issues result in extra stress and pressure on current staff which just accelerates the burnout causing a vicious cycle.
Can the healthcare staffing shortage be fixed? Possibly, but remember this has roots well before the pandemic hit. There are ways and mentality changes that can help, however there are no quick fixes without a long and short-term plan. Here are five strategies most suggested.
- Technology and outsourcing: Leveraging these could have a big impact on your staff retention and shortages especially within the back-office administration. With the advancements of Artificial Intelligence (AI), automation of repetitive tasks, outsourcing tasks such as medical record indexing within the EHR and Medical release of information/requests which will deliver efficiency, lower costs and less required staff. According to Annual Physician Salary Report 2022 “Physicians reported spending 15.48 hours per week on administration and paperwork whereupon as demand for treatment continues to trend upward, administrative workloads increase, and many healthcare professionals are tired and burned out. Telemedicine, that was essential during the pandemic delivers easy access, quicker appointments, less staff needed and eliminates a lot of primary care an NP, RN or even CNA could handle particularly in remote and underserved areas (HPSA) that have been hit the hardest. Both outsourcing and investing in new technology can help eliminate this.
- Increase morale: Give staff a voice to be heard and solicit feedback. They know better than anyone how to make their job more satisfying and the issues that need addressed. Allow providers to focus on patient care without the need of doing administration tasks. It is a well-known fact that Physicians and nurses have been forced to do more administration duties which has been a long-term target of frustration. Additionally, offer flexible work schedules which is one of the leading reasons people accept new jobs. It also reduces stress and improves mental health along with encouraging work-life balance.
- Training, Education, Funding: This is a major factor and the lack of investment in the healthcare workforce reduces the number of employees that can enroll in professional growth opportunities. The same is true with students aspiring to get into healthcare. The AHA suggests increasing the number of residency slots for Medicare funding and calling for support for education and loan forgiveness. Employees who believe their organizations are invested in their career growth, often stay and are happy with their roles.
- Diversity and Equity: Recruiting of Doctors, NP’s, RN’s and Technicians of all minorities will fill voids and provide better care with patients of the same cultural background.
- More Doctors, Nurses and Allied Staff: The data and expert predictions are very straightforward, A LOT more of these professionals are needed and the time to start is now due to length of education, training, certifications etc. Easier said than done which is why Healthcare industry needs to come together and strategically plan, fund and recruit an essential workforce for our country.
Overall, for many healthcare organizations, staffing issues has caused severe disruptions. This includes disruptions to patient care, specific care limitations, overworked pressured employees, much higher labor costs and even forcing closures of some facilities. While many of these options to fix the shortage may help, healthcare staff need comprehensive training and qualifications that eliminates hiring just anyone. Also, the need for healthcare is only going to rise as the senior population grows.
Technology and outsourcing effectively will have the most impact short term by automating processes and outsourcing of repetitive tasks, but a long-term plan must be made as these can only help so much. The bigger picture is much more challenging and will take time as the number of healthcare workers needs to increase dramatically.
If your health organization is interested in looking at technology or outsourcing, Tronitech can help. It’s only one piece of this puzzle but an impact will be made.
