- Workforce hurdles such as personnel shortages were the top headache for community hospital CEOs in 2022, outweighing the longtime go-to of financial issues for a second consecutive year in the American College of Healthcare Executives’ latest annual survey. The group’s poll included responses from 281 member CEOs and sought to rank issues of “immediate concern” to hospital leaders. Within the umbrella of “workforce challenges,” 90 percent of all responding CEOs pointed to shortages of registered nurses, 83 percent to shortages of technicians, 80 percent pointed to burnout among non-physician staff, and 70 percent to a shortage of therapists. (Article here)
- Advocacy groups representing clinicians, hospitals, health insurers, and technology companies released a new report showing the challenges with the industry’s consumer data sharing and privacy practices. The recommendations derive from a December 2022 meeting where 14 non-profit associations discussed challenges with existing health data privacy regulatory frameworks. The American Hospital Association, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, and the Federation of American Hospitals were among the industry groups involved with this effort. These recommendations come as federal regulators are showing an increased interest in how health care companies are sharing and using consumer data. On February 1, the Federal Trade Commission barred digital health company GoodRx from sharing personal health data with third parties and fined the company $1.5 million. (Article here)
February 16, 2023
Providers | Tea Leaves