cope

The growing healthcare staffing shortage is nasty news for providers--but it should be great for the healthcare staffing industry. With the number of Americans aged 55 to 64 set to expand 40 percent by 2014, few observers expect provider recruitment to be able to keep pace. This is good news for healthcare recruiters, including giants like AMN Healthcare Services and Cross Country Healthcare. Of late, companies like these have gone through hard times, as hospitals cut staffing levels to a …

> Under a new proposal, some California hospitals may get a break from expensive earthquake safety upgrades. Right now, under current law, about 1,100 hospitals would be required to upgrade, at a price of about $50 billion. Article

> Atlanta-based Grady Health System may be on the verge of collapse, according to a report. If it does, woe betide the other hospitals in …

If you want to know what a health system in crisis looks like, look no further than Houston. In the Houston metro area, 30 percent of the population is uninsured. Many of these patients pour through Ben Taub General Hospital, the hub of the county's public health system, and it's struggling to cope with the load. With insurance-poor small businesses dominating the state economy, Medicaid eligibility very limited and population growth outstripping funding, the problem is only likely to get worse. Article

> Struggling to cope with the needs of stressed and depressed soldiers, the Army is dramatically increasing the rate at which it hires psychiatrists, social workers and psychologists. Article

> A new study suggests that a small minority of hospitals are caring for the vast majority of elderly African-American patients--and that these hospitals generally provide a somewhat lower quality …

If you're running a modern hospital, it's almost a guarantee that you're letting doctors log on to your network from afar. The problem is, sometimes those connections aren't secure, leaving your network open to …

> The American Cancer Society's leader is arguing that health system flaws are holding back treatment of cancer and other chronic conditions. Article

> University of North Carolina's healthcare arm has slammed the door on performance-based bonuses for execs, including the health system's CEO. …

A new study suggests that while hospitals are bracing themselves for the possibility of a world-wide flu pandemic, few are prepared to cope with such conditions more than a single week. The study, released by the Novation, a contracting services company for VHA, and the University HealthSystem Consortium at this week's annual VHA conference, found that more than half of hospitals surveyed had begun developing pandemic-related disaster plans, particularly plans to get the additional respirators which will be needed to treat the flu. Most had also identified key suppliers and made plans to make sure they got needed supplies. Still, 79 percent of respondents said that they would only be able to continue operating without external resources for seven days or less. Many project that they'd only last one to three days.

To find out more about the study:
- read this Novation press release

Managed care companies should enjoy a whopping 15 to 20 percent growth in earnings next year, but hospitals aren't so fortunate, says John Boettiger, healthcare valuation leader at Deloitte & Touche USA. In an interview, Boettiger offers some predictions as to how providers will cope with continuing budget squeezes--and suggestions as to what they can do about it. Article

More than half of U.S. physicians believe that religion and spirituality can have a positive effect on patients' health, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Chicago. The study, which drew on a 2003 survey of 1,100 doctors across all specialties, found physicians' own religious beliefs had a strong influence on their responses. Not surprisingly, religious physicians were more likely to say that religion influences health and has a positive impact. Seventy-six …

Losing a child during pregnancy, labor or not long after is more than some families can endure. But one Maryland hospital--Anne Arundel Medical Center--hopes to help parents cope with their loss with its Perinatal and Infant Loss program. The hospital begins by placing a butterfly (a hope symbol) on the door when mothers lose a child, to let staff know what the mother is facing. Administrators also make sure the parents have time to be with the deceased, as well as take home a box of …