Becker's Hospital Review

100 CMO / CARE DELIVERY Workforce gaps continue to challenge hospitals — and the demand for travel nurses remains high By Kelly Gooch H ospitals' reliance on travel nurses to fill workforce gaps is certain to con- tinue aer the COVID-19 pandemic threat ends as organizations grapple with de- mand for care unrelated to the virus and the departure of nurses from full-time staff jobs, Bloomberg News reported March 15. e pandemic intensified hospitals' reliance on travel nurses and highlighted the gap between full-time workers' pay and lucra- tive temporary contracts. Now organizations continue to struggle to fill job vacancies in a tight labor market. Many hospitals and health systems are paying more to retain and recruit workers, whether it be through com- pensation or benefits. High housing costs are also preventing some workers from taking healthcare jobs. Amid workforce shortages, Troy Clark, pres- ident and CEO of the New Mexico Hospital Association, told Bloomberg News the finan- cial damage hospitals face from staffing costs is likely to grow. "Everybody is searching for more staff, ask- ing your staff to take on longer shis," Mr. Clark told the publication. "at encourages them to go, 'If I'm going to do all this work, I might as well go become a traveler and get paid a heck of a lot more.'" Part of hospitals' struggles come from workers leaving their full-time jobs at hospitals for var- ious reasons. Some have le because of emo- tional exhaustion, while others have taken a travel or agency nurse role or retired early. In New Jersey, hospitals more than tripled their 2020 spending on agency and travel staff last year, estimating they spent $670 million, according to a recent survey from the New Jersey Hospital Association. Meanwhile, interest in travel nursing has not faded, with data from Indeed show- ing searches more than five times levels seen before the pandemic, according to Bloomberg News. Experts told the publication persistent de- mand for travel nurses will continue as long as the current workforce gaps exist. n Nurses to Joint Commission: Require safe staffing levels for accreditation By Mackenzie Bean N urses across the country are calling on The Joint Commission to require "safe staffing ratios" as a condition of accreditation for healthcare facilities, the Chicago Tribune reported March 15. The nurses, working with an advocacy group called Impact in Health- care, are also urging the accrediting body to create a clinician-led task- force to determine appropriate staffing levels for various healthcare settings, annually report hospitals' compliance with staffing ratios and conduct peer-reviewed research on the topic. A petition on change.org outlining these requests had more than 544,000 signatures as of March 17, representing the largest healthcare petition on the website this year, according to Michael Jones, a manag- ing director at the company. The nurses' campaign has also included a March 15 rally at The Joint Commission's headquarters in Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., local TV commercials and a mobile billboard traveling to hospitals in the Chicago area. Jonathan Perlin, MD, PhD, president and CEO of The Joint Commission, said the pandemic has underscored the importance of increasing the healthcare workforce and prioritizing workers' health and well-being. "Staffing is a complex issue that is larger than, and cannot be resolved by, The Joint Commission alone," he said in a statement to Becker's. "We look forward to working with other authorities on this issue. Unfor- tunately, there is no one-size-fits-all or immediate solution. Addressing the root causes of the staffing shortage is the only way to create long- term and sustainable improvement." n 1st patient to receive pig heart dies 2 months later By Cailey Gleeson T he first patient to receive a genetical- ly modified pig heart died March 8, Baltimore-based University of Mary- land said March 9. David Bennett, 57, of Maryland received the heart in a historic procedure Jan. 7. Clini- cians at the University of Maryland said the transplanted heart performed "very well" for several weeks without any signs of re- jection, but Mr. Bennett's condition began deteriorating in early March. He received palliative care when they determined he would not recover. "We are devastated by the loss of Mr. Ben- nett," said Bartley Griffith, MD, who trans- planted the pig heart into the patient at the University of Maryland Medical Center. "He proved to be a brave and noble patient who fought all the way to the end. We extend our sincerest condolences to his family. Mr. Ben- nett became known by millions of people around the world for his courage and stead- fast will to live." n

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