Workforce

U.S. healthcare providers nationwide have continued to experience difficulties with hiring and retaining experienced information technology professionals needed for the evolving healthcare environment, according to new research conducted by global professional services company Towers Watson.

The demand for in-home care is growing by leaps and bounds, putting pressure on the home care industry to produce enough workers to meet the demand and provide high-quality care. A webinar on Tuesday addressed some of the ways the industry can ensure it meets the needs of an aging population.

According to a study published last month in Health Affairs, wellness programs linked to health plan enrollment don't seem to lower overall healthcare costs, however, they have been shown to reduce hospitalizations.

With recent studies indicating that music reduces agitation and depression in people with dementia and Alzheimer's disease, long-term care operators have begun adding music therapy programs to the services they offer residents. One operator is finding that using music therapy is benefitting the business as well as the residents.

The move to electronic health records could mean more money should be earmarked from general services budgets.

Two recent studies on nurse understaffing and nurse fatigue have revealed that these two prominent issues negatively impact the quality of care delivery, patient and employee satisfaction and operational costs in hospitals.

As the physician shortage continues to grow and changes wrought by health reform begin to take shape, more healthcare providers are moving beyond the use of locum tenens physicians to also using nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs).

In the last few years, it's become increasingly important for healthcare organizations to create some sort of strategy that is focused on becoming a successful social business, according to Andrew Dixon, senior vice president of marketing and operations at Igloo Software.

A report released in February found that state scope of practice laws and payment policies are two of the biggest challenges to expanding care provided by nurse practitioners.

In a study published online Wednesday in JAMA Surgery, researchers calculated that during 2009, six technologically advanced and minimally-invasive surgical procedures contributed a cost savings and workplace value of more than $11 billion.