Now in her seventh year as president and CEO of Paramus, N.J.-based Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, Deborah Visconi is prioritizing workforce retention and access to care.
She sees rising operational costs as one of the biggest financial challenges facing hospitals and health systems heading into 2025.
This increase is driven by a variety of factors, including inflation, labor shortages, the increased cost of medical supplies and pharmaceuticals, and the push for investment in new technology, particularly in telemedicine and data management, she told Becker's.
"We have a multipronged approach to sustainability, including workforce retention strategies, implementation of value based care models, and using technology and telehealth platforms to be able to reach our communities and our patient base," Ms. Visconi said.
Flexible scheduling
The 1,070-bed hospital's retention strategies include competitive compensation, employee wellness programs and flexible scheduling, Ms. Visconi said. As for scheduling, Bergen New Bridge implemented an app that allows registered nurses, certified nursing assistants and other employees to sign up for individual shifts, rather than being limited to working from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
"If you need extra money one week or one month and you want to pick up extra shifts, you go on the app and you pick up the shifts that you want. There's no long-term commitment," Ms. Visconi said. "And we're finding that to be an incredibly popular way for people to come into our organization because they don't have that rigid standard schedule."
Bergen New Bridge is looking to expand the app's functionality to social workers, respiratory therapists, physical therapists and radiology technologists, she said.
Expanding outpatient care
Ms. Visconi also highlighted the importance of identifying needs within Bergen New Bridge's communities, noting that the hospital opened its third CareRite Now center in partnership with Inserra Supermarkets about a year ago.
Physicians and nurse practitioners at the partnership's locations offer wellness visits, vaccinations, lab testing and blood draw services inside the supermarkets. The hospital is looking to expand its reach over the next year or two, Ms. Visconi said.
"If individuals can only get out of their house once a day or once a week, they are likely to go to a supermarket to buy food for their family," she said.
This approach is embedded in Bergen New Bridge's ambulatory and outpatient expansion strategy.
"You're only as healthy as your least healthy community member," Ms. Visconi said. "And I believe that as a health system in our communities, we have to be that beacon of health and hope and healing, to be there for our communities when they need us the most."