Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1541944
14 PATIENT & CAREGIVER EXPERIENCE Baystate offers buyouts, citing OBBBA By Kristin Kuchno S pringfield, Mass.-based Baystate Health has launched a "voluntary separation program" amid financial challenges, aiming to reduce the need for involuntary workforce reductions. e program offers eligible employees the option to voluntarily leave the organization with financial support, according to a Nov. 14 Baystate news release shared with Becker's. It applies to eligible employees in non-direct patient care areas at Baystate and subsidiaries, including Health New England. Baystate said the initiative is part of broader transformation efforts that have enabled the system to reinvest in its workforce, technology and patient care over the past year. In April, Baystate shared plans to lay off 43 employees and had reduced its workforce by 7% since November 2024, with 60% of those reductions occurring through attrition. "Like many health systems nationwide, we've faced significant financial pressures from rising labor costs, inflation, and reimbursement challenges," the release said. "Addressing these realities is essential to continue investing in our people, services, and facilities. As we plan for our future, we face new challenges, including external pressures such as the One Big Beautiful Bill, which is creating additional headwinds for health systems across the country." In July, Baystate projected an annual financial loss of $30 million to $50 million financial loss due to the budget law. Baystate continues to recruit and hire physicians, advanced practice providers and bedside caregivers, the release said. "is voluntary program is designed to minimize the need for other workforce reductions," the system said. "We recognize how personal this decision is and are approaching it with empathy, respect, and transparency. We're committed to providing clear communication and resources to support employees during this transition." n Healthcare wage gaps narrowed after COVID-19: Study By Kelly Gooch U .S. healthcare wage disparities modestly narrowed during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new analysis of wage data. The study, published Nov. 3 in Health Affairs, examined data from the Current Population Survey to identify trends in median earnings among healthcare workers between 2015 and 2024. Researchers from Minneapolis-based University of Minnesota and Seattle-based University of Washington found that workers in the lowest-earning healthcare occupations experienced wage increases of approximately 13% during this period — significantly more than higher- earning groups. Among nonphysician healthcare workers, aides and assistants saw the largest wage gains, with earnings rising 13.6%, according to a news release from Seattle-based UW Medicine. Registered nurses and technicians saw smaller increases of 3.8% and 1.1%, respectively, while advanced practice providers saw 8.3% wage growth over the same period. "In a way, the silver lining for the pandemic was that it created more job opportunities within the system for low- wage workers," senior author Bianca Frogner, director of the Center for Health Workforce Studies at the University of Washington School of Medicine, said in the release. "I hope we can take advantage of the moment we see here and not let it fade." Researchers also found that less-educated workers saw faster wage growth than more-educated employees. Additionally, Black and Hispanic healthcare workers saw faster wage increases than their white and Asian counterparts, although racial and ethnic pay gaps persisted, according to the release. Women's wages grew 8.8% over the study period, compared with 2.1% wage growth for men. n