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Healthcare Staffing Shortages Become CriticalCOVID-Related Staffing Shortages Causing
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Medical staff are suffering from “alarm fatigue” as the pandemic persists. Unlike a natural disaster scenario, where the disaster hits and then is done, COVID has been going on for months with no end in sight.
As The Atlantic reported recently, “The most precious resource the U.S. healthcare system has in the struggle against COVID-19 isn’t some miracle drug. It’s the expertise of its healthcare workers—and they are exhausted.” Critical Shortages
The Department of Health and Human Services collects staffing data from hospitals daily by asking them two questions:
According to HHS calculations, more than 1,000 hospitals across the country are “critically short” on staff. These staffing shortages have forced some hospitals to take unusual measures. For example, after last fall’s COVID resurgence, nurses in North Dakota who tested positive for the virus were told they could continue working as long as they did not display symptoms. Other states anticipate implementing crisis standards of care – the CDC’s guidelines for prioritizing care when resources run short. |
About Alarm Fatigue The ability of a hospital staff to cope with burnout is often hampered by alarm fatigue. According to the American Association of Critical Care Nurses alarm fatigue is defined as “a sensory overload that occurs when clinicians are exposed to an excessive number of alarms, which can result in desensitization to alarm sounds and an increased rate of missed alarms.” This can happen when medical staff working extended shifts continuously hear patient alarms coming from different directions. There’s no way for them to know when a patient truly requires their attention and when it’s a “false alarm.” |
Effect on Non-Clinical Staff
Even before the pandemic, healthcare providers often struggled to fill non-clinical positions. A 2018 survey conducted by Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) revealed that more than 60% of the 1,300 respondents said their organizations had difficulty recruiting non-clinical staff.
The AMA offers practical strategies for health system leadership to employ in an effort to cope during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of those strategies involves workload redistribution. A healthcare A/R management firm, such as RFS, can help with that.
Get Help
Is your medical practice struggling with too much work and too few staff members to handle the load? Outsourcing to a healthcare accounts receivable partner, such as RFS, can help make everything more manageable for everyone.
The COVID pandemic has resulted in lost healthcare revenue for most providers. This makes claims and collections activity more critical than ever for your bottom line. Outsourcing to a reliable A/R partner can help ensure your practice gets paid for all of its hard work during this unprecedented time. |
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