High labor costs, weak margins continue at nation’s nonprofit hospitals
Editor's Note An October 2023 report from Fitch Ratings finds that nonprofit hospitals will continue to have weak operating margins into 2024 and need to control labor costs in order to return to stronger margins, Chief Healthcare Executive October 5 reports. Some highlights of the report include: Median operating margins…
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Refreshed outlook for addressing healthcare’s staffing crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified existing personnel shortages in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers (ASC), which are anticipated to persist. Before the pandemic, nursing supply and demand were already affected negatively by several factors, including approximately 70,000 Baby Boomer RNs retiring per year. As the remaining Baby Boomer RNs retire over…
First nasal vaccine in development for deadly Strep A
Editor's Note A new nasal vaccine in development by Griffith University’s Institute for Glycomics in Australia could provide long-term protection against the deadly bacteria Streptococcus A (Strep A), Griffith University's Griffith News October 5 reports. Strep A causes 700 million human infections each year, and there are more than 500,000…
Healthcare employment up in September
Editor's Note Healthcare employment in the US rose by 40,900 from August to September, according to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, released on October 6. That is compared to the average monthly gain of 53,000 over the prior 12 months, for a total of 17,055,100 seasonally…
Physician burnout increasing in US, COVID-19 one of many factors
Editor's Note An October 2023 investigative study published by JAMA Network looked at physician burnout among US physicians over the past 5 years and found that burnout is increasing, JAMA October 6 reports. According to the study, burnout is a threat to the US healthcare system and physicians' ability to…
Blast from the past: 10 tips on successful perioperative leadership for new managers
Perioperative nursing, like any field, requires authenticity, honesty, and integrity for successful management. As perioperative represents one of the most challenging and demanding healthcare environments, patient-centered leadership is a must. This article previously published by OR Manager, titled "Words of wisdom: OR leaders offer tips for new managers," expands on…
Report: Think tank ranking shows hospital segregation persists in some US cities
Editor's Note In a ranking of over 3,000 hospitals done by the Lown Institute, a nonprofit and nonpartisan think tank in Needham, Massachusetts, researchers found that while inclusion is being prioritized at some hospitals, segregated healthcare markets remain in cities like New Orleans, St. Louis, and Detroit. The findings were…
New study shows how initial exposure influences immune responses to COVID-19 variants
Editor's Note A new study suggests that someone's initial exposure to a specific COVID-19 variant shows some influence to their immune response to subsequent variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, the University of Cambridge October 6 reports. The research, published by Science on October 6 and titled "Mapping…
Nursing schools are denying qualified applicants due to staffing shortages
Editor's Note Due to staffing shortages, thousands of qualified applicants were turned away from nursing schools last year, despite the nationwide shortage of nurses, CNN Business October 5 reports. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, nearly 78,200 qualified applications were denied by nursing schools in 2022. Nearly 66,300…