A massive trend in nursing today that we are all, unfortunately, seeing and dealing with the
consequences of is the nursing shortage. It is identified that due to the nurse shortage, there have been
many negative impacts to not only RNs but also on patient outcomes, resulting in increased workload
and stress (Tamata, et. al., 2021). Due to the rising need for nurses, as well as the current shortage,
there are many financial implications present. These can relate to increased spending necessary to
obtain adequate nurses or increased salaries to promote nurses to stay. According to one study, some
nurses identified that inadequate payment for overtime and lack of incentives has resulted in a loss of
employees (Tamata, et. al., 2021). To improve this problem, hospitals will require increasing their
incentive rates as well as ensure adequate payment is given for these extra hours.
A second financial implication is that having a reduced level of nurses has been shown to promote
longer hospitalization for patients due to lacking quality of care. A study done by Laseter et al (2021)
identified this problem and researched its financial implications for hospitals. From a financial
perspective, a reduction of the associated costs with increased days spent in the hospital relating to
the reduced number of nurses could save hospitals $117 million annually (Lasater, et. al., 2021). By
improving staff levels, significant money could be saved and used toward the hiring of more nurses,
which would benefit hospitals long-term. d
A third financial implication of reduced nurse staffing relates to patient mortality rates. Laseter's
study also indicated that with appropriate staffing levels based on the unit's needs, adverse events to
patients can be reduced (Lasater, et. al., 2021). Adverse events are related to a significant portion of
hospital expenses. By improving nurse staffing, these events can be reduced, therefore saving not
only patients but saving expenses to the hospital long term.
One trend we see in healthcare is the mass exitus of senior staff. The baby boomers are leaving the
industry. Three implications of this trend are: inclusion and diversity, flexibility and improved
physical and mental health. Evidence suggests more diverse work environments create more effective
employees and improved retention rates. Flexibility - IT tools and programs allow employees to work
remotely. Physical and mental health - organizations (specifically hospitals/schools/police/fire) need
to address staff burnout (Martin, 2021). Of significance, senior staff leaving in droves has left many
hospitals without resources and mentors. Hospitals attempting to replace these staff are falling short.
New nurses are not being successful without these senior staff as resources. According to the Health
Care Manager, every nurse loss cost the facility $82-$88,000/RN. Soon there will not be enough
nurses to care for the growing number of patients (Schroyer, 2020).
On a personal note:
Life is busy these days. As I said I work full time at St E’s, I am finishing my last two classes in this
program, and planning a wedding. d The most challenging thing in my life at this point is - my 91 year
old mother started radiation for bladder cancer this week. We are fortunate. I am the youngest of six.
I have five older brothers who will do anything I ask when it comes to our Mom. Being the only girl
and the only medical professional in the family, a lot of this falls on me and that is ok. I say this only
because sometimes (like this week) I may be a little behind - but I am with you all the way.
I look forward to the next eight weeks and all that comes next. d
The healthcare trend that I read about this week is the shift to remote work. COVID-19 brought about
this trend, and according to the article I read on revcycleintelligence.com (Ontario Systems, 2021),
it's not a trend that is soon to go away. It impacts healthcare institutions such as hospitals in terms of
financial planning because of the security measures needed to sustain remote workers. The downside
to remote workers is that there isn't the immediate supervision that on-site work offers. Mistakes
made in coding/billing might not be discovered as quickly with remote workers submitting
sporadically - even with defined deadlines for submissions. This could cause delays in reimbursement
from insurance companies, or overpayments from patients who pay out of pocket for medical
expenses. The benefits of remote work from a financial statement are that workers can enjoy a better
work-life balance as well as less on the job stress that they might encounter in the office setting, such
as tension with coworkers or a micromanaging supervisor. The neutral aspect of this trend is the
aforementioned security measures. Any strong, healthy EHR system should have excellent security
measures in place to safeguard data integrity and protect against identity theft (to the extent possible).
Ontario Systems (2021). Top 5 Trends Impacting Healthcare Revenue Cycle Management. RevCycle
Intelligence website. https://revcycleintelligence-
com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/revcycleintelligence.com/news/amp/top-5-trends-impacting-healthcare-
revenue-cycle-
management?amp_gsa=1&_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D#amp_tf
=From%20%251%24s&aoh=16517730908911&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&s
hare=https%3A%2F%2Frevcycleintelligence.com%2Fnews%2Ftop-5-trends-impacting-healthcare-
revenue-cycle-management
Martin,G. (2021) Top 10 emerging trends in health care for 2021: the new normal. AHA Trustee
https://trustees.aha.org/top-10-emerging-trends-health-care-2021-new-normal
Schroyer, C. (2020). Increasing registered nurse retention using mentors in critical care services.
The Health Care Manager. 39 (2). Pp 85-99.
doi:10.1097/HCM.0000000000000293
Lasater, K. B., Aiken, L. H., Sloane, D., French, R., Martin, B., Alexander, M., & McHugh, M. D.
(2021). Patient outcomes and cost savings associated with hospital safe nurse staffing legislation: an
observational study. BMJ Open, 11(12), e052899. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-052899
Tamata, A. T., Mohammadnezhad, M., & Tamani, L. (2021). Registered nurses' perceptions on the
factors affecting nursing shortage in the Republic of Vanuatu Hospitals: A qualitative study. PloS
one, 16(5), e0251890. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0251890
