Workforce

According to a recent study of 54 hospitals across the country by Aon and the American Society of Healthcare Risk Management, 80 percent of hospital risk managers are now self-insuring their physicians.

The healthcare industry added 20,000 jobs to the nation's economy in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. The biggest gain was in the hospital sector, which added 8,300 jobs.

With healthcare costs and chronic disease rates continually rising each year, it will only become more difficult for both employees and employers (who must pay to insure their employees) to keep up financially, which is why successful employee wellness programs are becoming an increasingly important asset in the workplace.

An organization that has a leader focused on striving for excellence is capable of obtaining any goal, said Paul O’Neill, former U.S. Secretary of Treasury and former CEO of ALCOA, to an audience Thursday at a Maine Health Management Coalition conference in Portland, Maine.

Employee wellness plans can be great cost savers for both health insurance companies and employers in the long run, but with new proposed rules and regulations around wellness plans set to begin on Jan. 1, 2014, employers and insurers are going to have to be careful about following more legal requirements.

The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and the American College of Nurse Practitioners will consolidate effective Jan. 1. 2013, the two membership organizations announced last month.

Research has shown that healthcare organizations with high employee engagement scores tend to have better patient outcomes overall, according to Murat Philippe, principal consultant at Avatar HR Solutions in Chicago.

Hospitals and healthcare systems across the country will soon be facing large cuts in Medicare if the U.S. Congress cannot reach an agreement on an alternative deficit reduction plan in order to avert the so-called fiscal cliff, therefore it's a good idea for these organizations to start being proactive.

Physicians in all care settings will see a slight pay hike in 2013, with salaries expected to rise by an average of 2.6 percent, according to a recent survey conducted by global consulting firm Hay Group.

An organizational culture study surveying physicians, and a companion study of hospital administrators, found a disconnect between doctors and administrators on issues of cultural fit and organizational performance.