As healthcare has continued to evolve, buzzwords have made their way into the industry. They can vary based on the current industry environment.
Becker's asked executives to share the healthcare buzzwords they are tired of hearing and why they think they are overused or problematic. Below are their responses.
1. Workforce crisis. "The reason it bothers me as a buzzword is because we're often using it as an excuse when we talk about whatever challenge is facing us. It's always because of the 'workforce crisis.' I would love to see us, instead of talking about the 'workforce crisis,' talk about what we're doing to address it." — Marc Gorelick, MD, CEO of Minneapolis-based Children's Minnesota
2. Bandwidth. "I remember that being a technology term, and now it's become a workload capacity term. [Healthcare is] a really interesting industry. I think about the change that's happened in the last two to three years. It's hard to keep up with. We've been able to be stable in a growing market. But 'bandwidth' is one every time I hear it, I think, 'I don't even know what that means anymore.' It's been used in so many different ways." — Wayne Frangesch, senior vice president and chief human resources officer of Scottsdale, Ariz.-based HonorHealth
3. Providers. "I've talked to both physicians and nurses who tell me they are not a 'provider.' They tell me that they worked hard to become a physician or a nurse or nurse practitioner or another healthcare professional — not to be a 'provider.'" — Chris Van Gorder, president and CEO of San Diego-based Scripps Health
4 and 5. Burnout and population health. "'Burnout' and 'population health' are often used without understanding their specific meaning. They have become catch-all phrases to cover many issues, diminishing their significance." — Eric Stevens, president of the Northern California Network of Roseville, Calif.-based Adventist Health
6. Value-based care. "'Value-based care' has strayed far from its original intent to align healthcare delivery incentives with the interests of patients, to improve patient outcomes and to create real value in healthcare. 'Value-based care' has increasingly become a financial construct, more focused on managing reimbursement models than on patient well-being. What was once a philosophy centered on enhancing patient care has been reduced to a polarizing buzzword that exemplifies the lack of alignment between the financial and delivery elements of the healthcare system." — Paul Hinchey, MD, COO of Cleveland-based University Hospitals
Note: This article was updated at 3:24 p.m. CT on Aug. 8.