David Weldon
While doctors and nurses get the most attention, it's important for employers to engage and empower all their employees.
Supply chain managers are under increased pressure to reduce the cost of operational, medical and surgical supplies at their facilities, making successful negotiating a necessity.
Despite the regular news that the healthcare industry is adding jobs, the pressures of mergers and acquisitions, declining reimbursements and the fears over national healthcare reform have led to several recent announcements of layoffs, which is putting a greater focus on outplacement services for healthcare workers – a service not traditionally used by doctors, nurses and senior staff.
Despite the regular news that the healthcare industry is adding jobs, the pressures of mergers and acquisitions, declining reimbursements and the fears over national healthcare reform have led to several recent announcements of layoffs, which is putting a greater focus on outplacement services for healthcare workers.
The integrated care model has been touted as being able to deliver better care for patients and lower costs and improve efficiencies for the healthcare system but a recent study of the model in the United Kingdom by RAND Europe reports lukewarm results.
Changes shaped by the Affordable Care Act, recent decisions by the NLRB, the wave of mergers and acquisitions, and the fact that healthcare is the industry with the most job growth have made it attractive to union recruiting activity.
It may not be quite at epidemic levels, but merger mania has definitely taken hold in the healthcare field, and most certainly in New England.
One of the latest examples is the proposed partnership of Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, the Lahey Clinic of Burlington, Mass., and Atrius Health, a Newton, Mass.-based consortium of Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates. Atrius Health is the largest physician organization in Massachusetts, with 1,000 physician members.
As an estimated 14 million additional Americans become eligible for health insurance next year under the Affordable Care Act, recent survey data reveals that the number of doctors entering the healthcare field remains flat, and existing physicians are reducing the number of patients they are willing to service. Solutions to the shortage are urgently needed experts say.
There is plenty of disagreement regarding the ROI of workplace wellness programs, but some evidence suggests the savings are there in the long run.
A growing number of small businesses are turning to bartering to get healthcare services they otherwise couldn't afford. It's a strategy that also offers benefits for the healthcare businesses providing the services.