Some hospitals are bringing in underqualified or nonspecialized physicians because of staffing shortages, a move Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, believes may sacrifice patient safety.
The Leapfrog Group is a nonprofit watchdog organization that aims to monitor and improve safety, quality and affordability of U.S. healthcare.
Amid national staffing shortages, Ms. Binder told Becker's that some hospitals have had to bring in physicians who aren't board-certified or trained in specific specialties, particularly in intensive care settings. While acknowledging the difficulties of the current conditions, she emphasized the importance of having highly trained and qualified physicians in ICU settings, adding that having professionals not specifically trained in ICU medicine can compromise quality.
"Right now hospitals are under enormous pressure to just get staff," she said. "It's a real crisis that is playing out in a way that is potentially deadly."
Ms. Binder said the issue should be on all CMOs' radars: "If it's not on their priority list, it should be on it today."