Having worked short-handed in fast-paced care settings and now supporting clients across the country, I see the impact of staffing shortages from many angles. Physician colleagues often share how difficult it is to retain great employees or how disruptive it can be when a trusted assistant or long-valued staff member leaves. Within our client base, organizations often report challenges that stem from staff turnover, including gaps in institutional knowledge. This can make it more difficult to understand earlier configuration decisions or feel confident making adjustments to longstanding workflows. These challenges make it harder for organizations to adapt, troubleshoot, and move forward confidently.

Spanning from small practices to large health systems, staffing shortages affect the way healthcare is delivered across the world. And while the origins of these shortages are varied, the fact remains: they cause an immense strain on healthcare organizations. It is felt, too, across discipline, from provider burnout to difficulties capturing a positive patient experience, to, in many cases, an organization’s bottom line. With burnout so prevalent across the medical landscape, organizations are challenged to keep their staff focused and resourced. This goes for everyone who works for the organization, including in administrative or IT roles, not just clinical personnel. By detailing these challenges and understanding our reality, we can deliver solutions and tools in response.

A patient’s lens: The length of stay

It’s simple at its core: The patient’s experience and sense of satisfaction is of the utmost importance to any healthcare organization. Longer stays with fewer resources can lead to less satisfied patients. The concept of maintaining satisfaction is imperative in enabling healthcare organizations to continue doing their jobs, and maintaining as smooth an experience as possible for a person receiving care is critical for any organization. Not to mention, organizations are often left financially responsible for excessive days of care as Medicare reimbursements are fixed amounts based on diagnosis and severity, not the actual length of stay. Additionally, complications could also result in additional financial burdens and penalties under CMS’s Value-Based Purchasing Program. Therefore, from the patient-satisfaction and organizational-health lenses, maintaining a satisfied staff brings better outcomes to every area of the organization.

Onboarding and sticking around

Every organization is going to differ. From clinical operations to administrative processes, there are many ways to operate within a healthcare setting, and it is likely that every organization has a distinct way of doing things. However, no matter where, confident and knowledgeable staff bring better outcomes wherever they go. The challenge is retaining staff while making onboarding as simple as possible to get new providers up to speed. Difficulties onboarding can lead to higher turnover, and this loop takes time away from patients needing care with knowledgeable staff. Although, staffing shortages aren’t limited to just providers. Many organizations are also struggling to fill administrative roles, creating a combination of staffing inefficiencies that can have a cascading effect on an organization’s onboarding process.

Backlogs in IT

As I mentioned above, staffing shortages in healthcare extend further than solely providers. There are shortages everywhere, including administrative and IT personnel. With fewer IT staff members managing routine updates, hardware support and help desks, organizations may find that it takes longer to address other issues, such as workflow optimization. Not only does this affect the overall productivity of providers, but inefficient workflows are a key factor in provider burnout. These roles have people operating with their own unique skillsets, keeping care moving in the right direction. Between important roles such as billing, intake and scheduling, these jobs must be in place, operating smoothly, and cannot be overlooked. Inefficient work snowballs into further inefficiencies, creating environments where everyone must work harder for less significant outcomes.

The right tools, the right time

As we look at staffing shortages moving forward, we must be able to equip staff with the right tools, training and support that they need to feel confident and comfortable. At Altera, we’re increasing the use of AI in our solutions—not to replace human workers, but to give them tools that help them work more efficiently and effectively. With healthcare organizations facing cybersecurity, regulatory or financial concerns, we need to ensure their staff can operate well, with the tools they need to succeed. Solutions like Sunrise™ 25.1, AI-powered documentation through TouchWorks Note+, and our CarePath portal are examples of how we’re helping organizations support their teams and maintain effective care delivery, even in the face of resource constraints.