Easing vaccine mandates, offering debt forgiveness and increased funding for research and training were touted by experts as ways to mitigate healthcare worker shortages, WebMD reported Feb. 14.

The flu season fills health system leaders with dread. Asking our healthcare workers to do more during flu season is a big ask for an already overburdened workforce.Until June of 2021, I was in this position as Ambulatory Chief Medical Officer for Prisma Health –the largest health system in South Carolina, serving 1.2 million people. Prisma Health needed a strategic plan that would best address our diverse populations but also recognized the practical realities in our practices. 

Some of the most enduring images of the pandemic will surely be those of severely ill patients lined up on gurneys, waiting for hours, even days, for a critical care or inpatient bed.

Creating the Context for Change for Employed Network Strategy and Execution

Coca-Cola, among other corporate giants, is leading the charge to report accurate data on how its operations affect climate and environment, something the U.S. healthcare industry could use as a model, according to a Yale News article published Feb. 10.

Many patients move through the healthcare system in silos, receiving treatment for a singular condition while other potential issues go unchecked. Solving this problem requires integrating specialists throughout the care experience, according to a Harvard Business Review article published Feb. 10. 

Healthcare organizations are drowning in data. There is more data generated per patient in today’s modern healthcare environment than at any other time in history. It can be challenging to go through a large amount of information and determine what is truly important from what isn’t. According to past surveys, data scientists spend 70 to 80 percent of their time on preparation tasks, such as loading and cleansing data. This significantly reduces their ability to be consultants and storytellers of their organizational data.

People are asking Google about finding new jobs, and their search results reveal an interest in healthcare roles.

A national LGBTQ rights organization has suspended two Dallas-based hospitals from its healthcare inclusivity scoring system after the two facilities shut a medical program for transgender children to new patients, The Dallas Morning News reported Feb. 10.

In light of the unique challenges faced by hospitals and health systems throughout the pandemic, the American Hospital Association has updated its strategic plan for 2022-24. 

Although many healthcare giants pledged to cut their emissions 100 percent through net neutrality or carbon-zero policies, a new analysis shows they are committing to less. 

Startup Fabric Health is partnering with laundromats to provide customers waiting for their loads to be done with healthcare services from blood pressure checks to mammograms, Fast Company reported Feb. 2. 

Al Gore, former vice president and a staunch environmentalist, said home-based care is central to making healthcare more sustainable, homehealthcarenews.com reported Feb. 7. 

Despite an increase in corporations pledging more environmentally friendly policies, many plans are inadequate, according to a new report by a company that advocates for action on climate change. One corporation drawing scrutiny is CVS Health, as it soared past its carbon emissions reduction target before it was even announced, The Wall Street Journal reported Feb. 7. 

Leaders from more than 1,100 hospitals and health systems joined Intuitive 360, a virtual event held Nov. 4-5, 2021, to explore ways to advance the possibilities of minimally invasive care, the breadth of Intuitive’s ecosystem and the benefits and best practices of robotic surgery.

Hospitals have been struggling for years to ensure adequate anesthesia coverage, but COVID-19 may be the straw that finally broke the camel’s back.

As the pandemic has continued to disrupt healthcare — including surgical services — hospital and health system leaders have employed a variety of resourceful strategies and best practices to deal with their most significant challenges.

Two of the largest for-profit hospital operators — HCA Healthcare and Tenet Healthcare — are making major investments in expansion. 

Despite the decline in COVID-19 hospitalizations, in the last week of January 2022, 80 percent of U.S hospitals were under high or extreme stress from COVID-19, The Guardian reported Feb. 4. 

Chicago-based Advocate Trinity Hospital has suffered through seemingly relentless crises since the start of the pandemic, much like many other hospitals. As the omicron surge subsides, it is trying to find a way forward, The Atlantic reported Feb. 2.