Becker's ASC Review

51 HEALTHCARE NEWS 51 Viewpoint: Workers not actually 'quiet quitting' By Alexis Kayser "Quiet quitting" is nothing more than a new phrase for an old phenomenon, according to workforce reporter Derek ompson. In a Sept. 16 article for e Atlantic, where he is a staff writer, Mr. ompson argues that employees are desperate for a new term to describe their burnout, and employers are validated by the idea that lags in productivity are outside the realm of their management. However, the media's leap to declare work dead is not backed by statistics, Mr. ompson said, citing a Gallup poll many use to boost the "quiet quitting" trend. "From 2010 to 2020, [employee] engagement slowly increased," Mr. ompson said. "In 2022, it declined so slightly that it's still higher than it was in any year from 2000 to 2014. … What the kids are now calling 'quiet quitting' was, in previous and simpler decades, simply known as 'having a job.'" Further, high resignation rates used to prop up quiet quitting are unwarranted because most people quit to take a new job, not leave the workforce altogether, according to Mr. ompson. e idea of quiet quitting may fill a space of uncertainty about the future of labor, but is not an accurate portrayal of the current workforce, he wrote. n Rhode Island's healthcare system 'is in crisis,' Lifespan CFO warns By Nathan Tucker H ospitals across the country continue to face unprecedented financial challenges, and Lifespan CFO David Kirshner warns that the result has left the Rhode Island healthcare system in crisis, according to a Sept. 15 news release shared with Becker's. Staff burnout from the COVID-19 pandemic and related resignations add to an already strained system. The release points to the rising cost of supplies, inflation, and lower than typical patient volume due to a decline in elective surgeries and bed closures as compounding reasons for the crisis. Additionally, the release notes the American Rescue Plan Act infusion of $20.9 million mitigated the effects, but additional federal funding is not expected moving forward. As a result, Lifespan reported a net loss of $49 million for the third quarter of 2022. Lifespan's operating loss for the nine-month period ending June 30 was $69.5 million, and its net loss was $142 million over the same period. "Now more than ever investments in our health care system are needed to ensure our long-term stability. While we continue to prioritize investments in the resources that allow us to offer excellent care, the health care system in Rhode Island is in crisis," Kirshner said in the release. n 20% of pediatricians likely to leave their job in the next year, survey finds By Kelly Gooch A mong surveyed pediatricians, 1 in 5, or 20 percent, indicated plans to leave their job in the next year, and nearly half of those considering leaving in the next five years indicated plans to leave medicine altogether, according to a new report from McKinsey. The report, released Sept. 15, is based on a survey conducted last December among 451 pediatricians who worked at children's hospitals in the U.S. Three other findings: 1. Sixty-one percent of pediatricians reported experiencing one or more dimensions of burnout. 2. Survey respondents who identify as female were more likely than those who identify as male to say they are experiencing burnout. 3. The top four reasons pediatricians gave for wanting to leave their job were: "Don't feel listened to or supported at work"; "Family needs and/or other competing life demands"; "Insufficient staffing levels"; and "Demanding nature and intensity of workload." n

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