Our nation is facing a dramatic shortage of doctors and nurses, and it has only
been made worse by the global COVID pandemic. Studies conducted by
multiple entities have shown that there will be a huge shortage of nurses of
510,394 registered nurses by 2030 and they state that there will be a need of
1.2 million new nurses needed to address the shortage. Another interesting
fact is that more than 20% of current nurses surveyed indicated that they may
leave their current nursing position of providing direct care within the next
year (Providertech, 2022). Along with the numbers provided above here are
other health care figures that show how dire the situation has become and will
continue to be in the future if not addressed:
Employment in healthcare is down by.
524,000 since February 2020
.
About.
16 percent of hospitals
.had critical staffing shortages as of
October 2021.
By 2026, the country will lack an estimated.
3.2 million healthcare
workers
.
By 2026, the country will need about.
900,000 mental health
workers
.(Providertech, 2022)..
With these numbers in mind, ensuring that patient privacy is protected is key,
The Privacy Act of 1974, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
(HIPAA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical
Health Act (HITECH) were created just for that in ensuring patient privacy
and protection of electronic health records. Just because a healthcare system is
lacking in staff does not give them the right to cut corners and be
noncompliant with privacy laws. Managers and administrators need to place
an emphasis on patient privacy.
CDC. (n.d.). Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996
(HIPAA). Retrieved
from.https://www.cdc.gov/phlp/publications/topic/hipaa.html
.
Providertech. (2022, February 2)..The Healthcare Workforce Shortage:
Requiring Hospitals, Health Systems and Physician Practices to
Optimize Existing Resources. Retrieved from Providertech:
https://www.providertech.com/healthcare-workforce-shortage-optimize-
existing-resources/
.
U.S department of health and human services. (n.d.). HITECH Act
Enforcement Interim Final Rule. Retrieved from
https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/special-topics/hitech-act-
enforcement-interim-final-rule/index.html.
