Burnout and the Staffing Crisis – How Do They Impact the Healthcare Workforce and What are Some Possible Solutions? | Healthcare IT Today (2023)

During the pandemic, so much was asked of our healthcare workers that they began to get burnt-out and started to quit. With people leaving, the remaining staff began to be stretched to make up for this loss. Stretched out led to stretched thin, meaning that more healthcare workers got burnt-out and quit as well. Leaving us stuck in a vicious cycle of not enough workers and burning out quickly as a result. So how do we get out of this cycle?

We reached out to our Healthcare IT Today community to hear their thoughts on physician burnout and the healthcare staffing crisis and see what solutions they had. Take a look and see if these ideas could be beneficial to you and your staff.

Kimberly Hartsfield, EVP Growth Enablement at VisiQuate

Staffing experts indicate that health care staffing levels are unlikely to return to pre-pandemic levels for at least five years. One recent report indicates that 92% of revenue cycle teams are understaffed and that 1/3 are understaffed by more than twenty positions. Those metrics leave leadership no alternative but to look to technology to augment the lack of staff.

Many leaders are embracing automation and bots to take on repetitive tasks like claims status, prior authorization and notice of admission, allowing their seasoned employees to handle complex accounts that bring value to the bottom line.

Bryan Dickerson, Vice President, Healthcare Workforce Solutions at Hospital IQ

Predictive analytics enable easier and smarter staffing decisions that improve operational efficiency and workforce satisfaction. Many health systems still rely on outdated technology and inaccurate data insights that lead to reactive, last-minute, crisis-minded staffing measures that impact care delivery and contribute to burnout.

Predictive staffing solutions and census forecasting alleviate a root cause of burnout by allowing staffing leaders to make proactive, data-informed decisions because they now have real-time and predictive situational awareness. By shifting from a reactive entity to a proactive one, health systems are developing a more strategic, sustainable approach to solve chronic staffing issues and mitigate many of the factors that have long contributed to the healthcare staffing crisis.

Dr. Kikelomo (Dayo) Belizaire, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer at Pegasystems

I don’t feel there will be any “winners” or “losers” following the healthcare staffing crisis. Instead, I hope we’ll see a shared sense of accountability. The burdens of healthcare have long been placed on the shoulders of the providers at the expense of the patients. Investment in human capital and a solid IT infrastructure is crucial to effectively deploy the strategic initiatives essential to the business’s future and the patients we serve, without this, we will all lose.

Heather Bassett, Chief Medical Officer at XSOLIS

COVID-19 and pre-existing staffing challenges put immense burden on healthcare organizations, in particular hospitals. Traditionally manual tasks like utilization management reviews hinder nurses’ productivity, increasing the risk of burnout. By applying AI and machine learning-fueled technologies, hospitals can transform these review processes to better utilize their existing staff, creating more efficiency and patient focus, ultimately leading to better job satisfaction.

Tom Milam, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at Iris Telehealth

Providers across the country, specifically those in behavioral health, are suffering burnout due to the increased number of patients seeking care related to the pandemic. In fact, we are seeing many providers leave the profession or retire early as a result, which further fuels the ongoing provider shortage problem we’re seeing in the mental healthcare space.

When implemented properly, telepsychiatry can help address the challenge of provider burnout by offering behavioral health providers a sense of control and autonomy over their schedules. Thus, enabling them to spend more time with their family, engage in self-care, and take appointments from the comfort of their own home.

Additionally, providers no longer need to worry about the wasted time or the expense of a commute, especially in rural areas where they might have to travel further to see patients. And finally, allowing a provider to practice from a setting where they are more comfortable improves the quality of care for patients.

Sanjeev Agrawal, President & COO at LeanTaaS

Amid the “Great Resignation,” the hiring field has been especially tumultuous, both in healthcare and in technology. Organizations are learning to address new employee needs in response to workers quitting in droves. There are several ways that companies can support their remote teams.

Primarily, remote employees want the same opportunities they might receive in person. Companies need to avoid proximity bias and provide growth opportunities, skill training, mentorship, and competitive benefits to all workers. The best employees are always looking to learn new tricks of the trade and enhance their leadership skills, so providing training and mentorship is essential to upskilling, which in turn benefits both employee and employer.

Additionally, benefit expectations have changed over the years, and employees now ideally would like to work from wherever they feel most productive, whether that’s from home, in the office, or at a coffee shop. In today’s world, many employees who can work remotely won’t work for a company that requires them to come into the office multiple times a week, companies who require this may risk losing out on top candidates. Flexible working environments are no longer a nice perk, but a requirement for companies that want to entice competitive talent and support their workforce.

Mudit Garg, CEO at Qventus

In today’s extremely challenging staffing environment, the health systems that prevail will be those that can do more with less. To do that, one key strategy that leading organizations are pursuing is automation. And not just back-office automation, but also automation of operational activities that touch frontline teams. For example, by automating and optimizing OR scheduling, innovative organizations have been able to increase the total number of OR cases while simultaneously reducing the number of staffed ORs.

Jeff Gartland, CEO at Relatient

The true “winners” coming out of this crisis will be the organizations that zoom out and realize the underlying challenges they are experiencing today are many of the same challenges that have been plaguing healthcare for years. We are seeing the staffing shortage act as a catalyst for many organizations to prioritize modernizing and simplifying care experiences for providers, staff and ultimately the consumer. The ones that dedicate resources to solve for these challenges will achieve much more lasting and viable success moving forward.

Dr. Ujjwal Ramtekkar, Senior Medical Director, Mental Health at Teladoc Health

One of the root causes for burnout has been that sense of isolation and loneliness. Peer support groups and peer support networks both informal and formal are extremely important. If we are to think about it clinically anything that can create a sense of belonging and collaboration is beneficial. We already have existing team based models of care that will increase that fulfillment and reduce some of that moral distress. A good example is collaborative care models in mental health.

Srulik Dvorsky, Co-Founder & CEO at TailorMed

An increased demand for care over the past two years has caused a critical labor shortage for hospitals and health systems. Making matters worse, increased expenses for hiring additional (and sometimes temporary) staff to meet this demand, combined with administrative backlogs and denied claims, have driven up costs and lowered revenue for providers. Faced with these challenges, health systems are turning to technology and innovation to help build new levels of efficiency and agility, empowering staff to do more with the resources they have as a means to reduce pressure on an already overburdened workforce.

Technology and automation allow repetitive administrative and clinical tasks to be handled in the background, improving operations and workflows. Innovative tools can significantly reduce manual, time-intensive tasks for healthcare staff, offering them much-needed relief so they can embrace higher-value priorities with their time. This not only improves working conditions for staff, but also benefits the business. For example, financial navigation is an indispensable service connecting patients to resources enabling them to afford their care, but the process is often manual and reactive. Innovative digital solutions can automate this process to proactively identify patients in need, expedite enrollment in relevant funding opportunities, and enhance internal communications.

Financial navigation technology streamlines workflows to relieve staff of a significant administrative burden, while reducing costs for patients, and lowering uncompensated care and bad debt for providers. By leveraging technology to drive efficiencies, hospitals and health systems can not only support their workforce during the ongoing healthcare staffing crisis, but also improve their bottom line.

Karen Conley, DNP, RN, Senior Vice President of Clinical Services at Kyruus

We all know health systems were hard hit by COVID-19 and left a lasting gap in the healthcare workforce. In fact, our recent provider survey indicates that staffing shortages are one of today’s top clinical and industry challenges. The time is now for health systems to engage with providers and leverage new technologies to alleviate stress on an overburdened workforce. Implementing solutions such as practice management tools, integrated online scheduling, and expanding virtual care offerings can lighten the load for providers and staff while also improving the patient experience.

What great insights into this pressing issue! What are your thoughts/solutions to burnout and the staffing crisis happening in the healthcare workforce? Comment down below or on social media!