Editor's Note Data from Fitch Ratings indicates hospital wage inflation is “leveling off,” Becker’s Hospital Review reported September 9, calling the report “good news” amid continued payroll increases and labor shortages. According to Becker's, key takeaways of the data include: Year-over-year average hourly earnings growth for hospital employees dropped 3%…

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Editor's Note Healthcare employment in the US rose by 31,000 from August to September, according to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), released September 6. That is compared to an overall monthly gain of 142,000 in August. Healthcare employment also trended up in ambulatory healthcare services,…

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Takeaways • Surgical volume continues to increase for most organizations. • Staffing remains a challenge, although some parameters, such as recruiting and turnover, have improved slightly. • Filling an open RN position takes an average of 77 days, and filling a surgical technologist position takes an average of 120 days.…

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Editor's Note Healthcare employment in the US rose by 55,000 from July to August,  according to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), released on August 2. The gain is similar to the average monthly gain of 63,000 over the prior 12 months. In July, employment also…

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Takeaways • Compared to 2023, the percentage of respondents reporting an increase in open positions for RNs and STs, as well as increased turnover for RNs, remained stable, but fewer reported a drop in ST turnover. • The percentage of respondents reporting hiring more managers set a 9-year record. •…

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More than 4 years after personal protective equipment production and inventories crashed amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, the “new normal” in healthcare supply chains seems to be “uncertainty.” Although hospital margins are improving and patient volumes are trending upward, “stress fractures continue to remain in place,” says Michael Schiller, CMRP,…

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Editor's Note Healthcare employment in the US rose by 56,000 from April to May, according to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, released on May 3. That is compared to an overall monthly gain of 175,000 in April. In April, healthcare employment also trended up in: ambulatory…

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Takeaways OR leaders have experienced financial gains over the past 9 years, but not enough to keep up with inflation in recent years. Capital and operating budget responsibilities have increased over the past 6 years. Since 2015, OR leaders have consistently been most satisfied with their current job, but much…

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Takeaways The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated staffing problems, and although some parameters have improved, challenges remain. Surgical volume took a sharp drop during the pandemic but is now rebounding. Over the years, the gap in difficulty between recruiting RNs and recruiting STs has narrowed. Last month, OR Manager looked back on…

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Editor's Note “How many of you are still struggling with staffing?” Tammy Straub, MSN, RN, APRN, CNOR, administrator of perioperative services at Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network, asked attendees of this session. Everyone in the room raised their hands. Straub and Alexandre Warman, MBA, CEBA, administrator of perioperative business…

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