By: Joseph Newsome August 8, 2024
Many industries are experiencing administrative burden, and healthcare has no shortage. The spider web, reaches to every area from patient care, payment and regulatory compliance. The threat of failure is brought to the forefront with the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by Steward Health Care in 2024. The Dallas based company is one of the nation’s largest private hospital operators with 31 locations in eight states.
Over the next couple weeks we will look into these challenges beginning with healthcare staff shortages.
Staff shortages are present in all levels of medical care. There aren’t enough skilled healthcare professionals and administrative personnel. This leads to issues creating a domino effect leading to delay, loss of revenue, additional and increased cost, errors and compliance obstacles. Staff shortages have worsened with the pandemic impacts, shortage of qualified and trained staff, increased aging patient population and job dissatisfaction. Combating the staff shortages requires a multi-pronged approach, often a delicate balancing act falling off the beam.
Stop the bleeding. Addressing healthcare workforce retention should be addressed first. Understand why trained professionals are walking away. Take swift action to reduce the burden on care providers and administrative personnel. While state and federal law has mandated most of the administrative burden, technology can assist. Provide realistic schedules that build in time for necessary administrative functions. Create a “town square” for employees to engage and be heard. The front line employees identified the issues long before upper level management realized there as an issue. In lay terms, listen and learn.
Get it right! As much as technology has provided advancement in administrative function, that same technology can hinder promotion of good, qualified candidates. As large and small corporations have introduced AI based HR systems, this process has removed, in some cases, qualified applicants due to algorithmic based parameters. Hiring the right people from the beginning is vital. Technology can support the interviewing and hiring process, but it should not eliminate good old fashioned manual review.
Train to Gain. Provide on-boarding and on-going training. Today’s candidates often lacks the “I will learn what I don’t know”. Failure to provide adequate training can lead to frustration and subpar output from the new hire. Training is costly and time consuming, but will yield favorable results for the long term. In addition to on the job training, having a shadow or mentor program can provide access to new hires to gain answers they need in real time eliminating downtime and fostering team building.
Resolving the staff shortage is going to take time and action. Retaining staff currently in the field and fostering an environment to grow and develop while providing a platform to be heard will assist in stopping the bleeding. Focused hiring practices reviewing rejected application submissions and putting the right person in the right position is just the start of slowly resolving the challenges of healthcare administration.
References:
1) Health News Florida: https://health.wusf.usf.edu/health-news-florida/2024-05-07/hospital-operator-stewart-health-care-files-for-chapter-11-bankruptcy
2) HR for Health: https://www.hrforhealth.com/blog/healthcare-worker-shortage
5) Shadow mentoring: a cost-benefits review for reform: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9767119/