Working in the healthcare field, I see on a daily basis the need for
healthcare professionals. There are a lot of articles on the nursing
shortage, and that is one of the biggest threats to our healthcare
system, however, there are shortages from hospital kitchen staff, to
radiology technologists to primary care physicians. This in part, due
to the Affordable Care Act of 2010 which dramatically increased the
number of Americans who now have access to healthcare services
(Wilson, 2021). However, the workforce was not keeping up with the
demand. Since the pandemic, the healthcare staffing shortage has
been on the rise due to burnout, sickness, taking care of family, etc.
As the demand for healthcare professionals rise, so does the cost to
the hospitals and healthcare organizations. With this, the budge will
trend towards salaries instead of making necessary adjustments for
HITECH, OSHA and Joint Commission regulations. Not to mention,
with less staff to care of patients, the healthcare professionals are
taking on more than they can adequately accomplish. This can lead to
cutting corners, poor patient care which ultimately can increase the
cost of the healthcare services that are being provided.
Intense staffing shortages can cause administration to either hire
contract employees or unqualified personnel to fill the void. This can
be very problematic for many different reasons. This can and will put
patients at risk as well and cost the organization a lot of money.
Increasing salaries to retain quality healthcare professionals is one
strategy, however, it isn't a good long term plan. The Joint
Commission, the accrediting body for hospitals, publishes certain
standards for the hospitals, which include providing adequately
staffing. The standards tie the adequacy of an organization's staffing
to patient outcomes and place accountability for compliance on its
board of directors and other leadership (McGuire, 2010).
References:
Wilson, S. (2021, December 10). Staffing shortages are driving up
salaries, but creating major headaches for administrators: Masters in
Health Administration. Healthcare Administration . Retrieved
February 24, 2022,
from https://www.healthcareadministrationedu.org/2018/03/staffin
g-shortages-are-driving-up-salaries-but-creating-major-headaches-
for-administrators/
Woods, M. G. (2010, February 17). The Joint Commission approves
interim staffing effectiveness standards for hospitals, Long Term Care
Organizations. McGuireWoods. Retrieved February 24, 2022,
from https://www.mcguirewoods.com/client-resources/Alerts/2010
/2/thejointcommissionapprovesinterimstaffingeffectivenessstandard
sforhospitalslongtermcareorganizations
