The rising number of people insured under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act combined with a growing aging population has significantly increased the demand for healthcare services. However, the supply of healthcare workers in critical roles has dwindled, according to Rick Sherwood, talent and rewards healthcare industry lead at Towers Watson, a global professional services company.
At the Becker's Hospital Review 6th Annual Meeting in Chicago, Mr. Sherwood pointed out that additionally, there has been a substantial shift in critical roles in healthcare. While 10 years ago hospitals and health systems were most concerned with attracting and retaining nurses, today most organizations are worried about finding workers to fill clinical roles as well as health IT analysts and coders.
"U.S. healthcare providers are challenged to survive and thrive amid a set of complex and interconnected business forces," said Mr. Sherwood. "Increasing competition, increasing cost and utilization pressures, changing payment structures, evolving care delivery models and managing population health, among numerous other things, [are] increasing pressure on providers to pay greater attention to workforce planning."
However, there are certain steps providers can take to ensure they have the right mix of talent, according to Mr. Sherwood.
An important element of workforce planning for the future is identifying critical roles in the present and a pipeline for talent needed. According to Mr. Sherwood, providers should implement a systematic approach to measure and manage the talent supply and demand using business analytics. By leveraging data from past timelines on past rates of hiring, retention, termination and resignation, providers are best positioned to make accurate projections and optimal talent investments that will deliver the right skills at the right time in the right place for the right cost.
"It always breaks my heart when I'm working with systems and they didn't know they were shrinking a part of their staff in one area while at the same time hiring the same workers in another," said Mr. Sherwood.
Keeping the external supply of a certain position in mind is an essential component of future state planning, he added. Without the right people available in the market, hiring and/or contracting options will be limited. After analyzing hiring and retention trends as the external labor market, providers can understand where the gaps lie.
"Workforce planning is most effective when focused on the most pivotal roles," said Mr. Sherwood. "It is not possible to plan for every single role across the board effectively. Instead, focus on the roles that will have both an immediate and long-term business impact."
The pivotal roles are those where gaps in talent supply pose the most significant issues in both the long- and short-term. Managing this talent supply will require immediate action, while others can be put off for a few years, according to Mr. Sherwood.
After these gaps are identified, hospitals and health systems can develop their build strategy. For instance, the best option in certain cases can be leveraging existing talent from within, while other circumstances may call for recruiting outside hires or contracting with employees on a short-term basis.
"Many providers automatically think they need to go out and hire people," said Mr. Sherwood. "But that's not always the best answer."