COVID-19 and the Health Workforce 6/8-6/21

(06/16/2022) CMS Curtailing Frequency of Vaccination Mandate Compliance Surveys
Becker’s Hospital Review reports oversight of the COVID-19 vaccination mandate for healthcare providers participating in Medicare and Medicaid will no longer be included in all CMS surveys. Moving forward compliance reviews for vaccine requirements will continue during recertification and initial surveys in instances where there are complaints alleging non-compliance.

(06/08/22) Few Healthcare Workers Are Using Social Media to Encourage Vaccination, Study Finds
A new study finds that few healthcare workers are advocates for COVID-19 vaccinations on social media platforms. The study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health evaluated vaccine hesitancy among healthcare workers based on a survey and Twitter posts related to vaccination and healthcare. In their examination of nearly 2,300 tweets related to this topic, only 14% authored by health care workers mention COVID-19 vaccination.

(06/08/2022) COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy, Acceptance, and Promotion Among Healthcare Workers: A Mixed-Methods Analysis
This study from the University of Pittsburgh school of Public Health examines COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, acceptance, and promotion among the health workforce by evaluating twitter posts related to vaccination and healthcare. The study finds that few health care workers (14 percent) are using social media to promote vaccination.

(06/13/2022) Stop Workforce Shortages: 3 Ways
As staff shortages nationwide threaten patient access to care, health care leaders express strategies for dealing with the shortages. Strategies discussed in this article include: developing workforce pipelines, creating strong succession planning, and implementing technology including new AI to automate workflow and provide relief to the workforce in order to boost staff morale.

(06/06/2022) Healthcare Payrolls Recovering, Still Lag Pre-Pandemic Levels
Based on May 2022 labor statistics released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Healthcaredive has reported the healthcare industry is experiencing a slow recovery of healthcare jobs lost during the pandemic and continues to operate below pre-pandemic levels of staffing. According to labor statistics released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the healthcare sector added 28,000 jobs in May 2022, topping overall sector gains of over 124,000 jobs since January 2022. Hospitals experienced the highest increases of the healthcare subsectors with 16,000 jobs added in May 2022.

(06/14/2022) Why We Need a Recovery Plan for America’s Physicians
A new article written by AMA President Jack Resneck Jr. discusses a 5-point strategy to strengthen the US physician workforce to better meet the needs of the nation’s patients. The 5 strategies include: supporting telehealth, reforming Medicare payment, stopping scope creep, fixing prior authorization, and reducing physician burnout.

(06/14/2022) ‘Something Has to Change’: Health Care Workers Who Cared For Us During COVID are Burning Out
“COVID-19 has been a fully and uniquely traumatic experience for the health workforce and for their families. Burnout has reached crisis proportions among front-line clinical staff in hospitals and clinics” writes US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy in an opinion piece published in USA TODAY. Last month Dr. Murthy issued a Surgeon General’s Advisory to bring “attention and action” to the crisis identifying action items such as access to health insurance, mental health care, sick leave, adequate staffing, and reducing administrative burdens. Dr. Murthy points out that failure to address the crisis will result in the public being unable to access healthcare services, an increase in public health disparities, and a nation that will find it difficult to respond to future public health emergencies.

(06/13/22) COVID-19 Pandemic and Physician Burnout: Ramifications for Healthcare Workforce in the United States
This paper published in the Journal of Healthcare Leadership analyzed the possible reasons for physician burnout, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as poor physical and emotional wellbeing, increased healthcare workers’ needs, and diminished labor supply because of quarantining due to seropositivity or staying away from work to provide care to children due to school closures or a sick relative. One of the consequences for the healthcare workforce is that 75% reported being overworked, with 50% considering an employment change during the pandemic, and 25% of women physicians considering early retirement.

(06/07/22) Fact Sheet: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Announces Action on COVID-⁠19 Pandemic Response and Improving Health Systems and Health Security in the Americas
The Biden Administration announced a new “Action Plan on Health and Resilience in the Americas” which aims to prepare for future pandemics and expand equitable health care to remote and vulnerable populations. According to the press release from the White House, “the Action Plan will help our partners prevent, prepare for, and respond to future pandemic threats and other public health emergencies while also expanding the equitable delivery of healthcare and public health services to remote, vulnerable, and marginalized populations.”

(06/06/2022) State Efforts to Expand the Healthcare Workforce
The National Governors Association’s Center for Best Practices announces it will assist the efforts of state governors to increase recruitment and retention of healthcare workers and provide equitable access to medical career pathways. The Next Generation of Healthcare Workforce Learning Collaborative focuses on providing technical assistance to 7 key workforce priority areas including workforce planning data collection and analysis, policy coordination, recruitment and retention, coordinated education and training pathways, and health care workforce redesign.