Hospitals and health systems have been dealing with staffing shortages for years, but the pandemic exacerbated the problem as hospital volumes declined and many hospitals experienced significant financial losses. The gap between the unemployment rate and job openings in the health industry by the end of 2021 was at its highest level in 15 years, and the turnover rate in the health care industry increased by 20% over the past five years. Don Briones, Senior Manager, ECG Management Consultants, who authored a recent AHLA article on this topic, discusses what hospitals and health systems are facing in this current environment and how they are responding.
Don’s panel includes Baljeet S. Sangha, MPH, FACHE, Chief Operating Officer, Deputy Director, San Francisco Health Network, San Francisco Department of Public Health; Jim Wells, MSHQS, BSN, Vice President of Operations, Kingman Regional Medical Center; and Andrew Helman, Partner, Dentons.
From the Enterprise Risk Management Affinity Group of AHLA’s Hospitals and Health Systems Practice Group.