Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/276151
[ 50 ] HRO TODAY MAGAZINE | MARCH 2014 Healthcare Staff Shortages? Here's what hospital and healthcare system managers think is happening. By Susan Salka Managed Services Programs Healthcare workforce researchers and analysts have been arguing for the past couple of years over whether a dire physician shortage will materialize as predicted. Similarly, some are expecting a severe nursing shortage, but others insist the shortage may not turn out to be as bad as originally expected. What do managers at hospitals and healthcare systems think? They're telling a different story, according to the recent AMN Healthcare Clinical Workforce Survey. First, the research and analysis: The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates a shortage of 45,000 primary care doctors and 46,000 surgeons and medical specialists by 2020, due in part to increased numbers of older people (who need more care) and the addition of millions of people with health insurance from the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Some analysts say the shortages can be avoided through new models of team-based care that rely on non-physician clinicians—such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants—for primary care. A RAND Corp. study maintained that this strategy could reduce the physician shortage by more than half. Meanwhile, the status of nursing supply and demand