Does Anyone Have Innovative Solutions for the Four Main Hospital Issues that Continue to Damage Healthcare and Patients?
By Barbara Carey and Mike McCall
We need innovation to face the challenges of these seemingly insurmountable issues.
Who has some field tested solutions?
Please let us know and we will share with others.
Healthcare workforce shortages. According to Beckers Review there are more than 8,300 designated primary care shortage areas in the U.S. In Baton Rouge where TCI is based 22 full-time primary care physicians care for 140,000 people.
A key issue is that the data measuring workforce shortages is not strong. An accurate measurement of the shortage
areas would be a step toward filling the voids. Let’s get the data and look beyond the standard solutions. If any healthcare leader has found the right formula, TCI would like to know because this problem extends well before the Covid 19 period.
Cybersecurity. Since 2016, healthcare institutions have been held hostage by cyber criminals who want payment for releasing hospital software information or keeping hospital information private. This issue has grown tremendously and threatens patient care. Health system ransomware attacks doubled in 2023 with 141 US hospitals affected last year according to Beckers. Maybe this is serious enough for the federal government to apply their
technology and science to prevent these events in the future. If anyone has found a bullet proof solution, we would very much like to know.
Escalation of Hospital Closures. Financial insolvency has many causes. However, some of them are linked to governmental policies that affect reimbursement.
Healthcare leaders should pressure lawmakers through their trade and professional organizations to realize the importance of hospitals in their communities and institute policies that make them more viable. Some states have not expanded Medicaid coverage which has led to hospital closures in many rural communities, especially in Texas.
On a national level, CMS has reimbursement policies which hurt hospitals. For example, the Medicare reimbursement rate is not often on par with actual cost of service delivery. Most hospitals have 60% -70% of their patient population covered by Medicare and the reimbursement rate doesn’t cover their expenses. This needs to change!
Many hospitals need capital improvements which would make them more efficient and attractive to patients, yet many of the US grant programs do not allow funds to be used for those purposes.
If your hospital has strengthened its finances using innovative strategies, please share that information with us.
What solutions have you used to meet some of these challenges?
TCI would like to know and share with others.
Send us an email:barbara@tciconsults.com
We would also like to know what you have tried that did not work.
Maybe your narrative would save others.
TCI believes strongly that good health can result from access to quality care and that our nation’s healthcare leaders are innovative and can resolve these persistent issues with effort and sharing information.
Take a minute and share some information with us.
We Help Our Clients Understand Their Environment and to Find Solutions.
Call Us 1-225-767-7224 or Email barbara@tciconsults.com
