AND COMMISSIONS, INCLUDING TWO ON THE UW BOARD OF REGENTS.
IN OTHER BUSINESS, EVERS ONCE AGAINST URGING THE LEGISLATURE
TO RELEASE $15 MILLION TO HELP SUPPORT HEALTHCARE WITH THE
COMING CLOSURE OF HOSPITALS IN EAU CLAIRE AND CHIPPEWA FALLS,
CLOSURES THE WISCONSIN HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION CALLS UNTHINKABLE,
BUT PART OF FEARED RESULTS FROM STAFF SHORTAGES AND FINANCIAL
PRESSURES. JUST OUT WITH
ITS 2024 WISCONSIN HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE REPORT, WHICH
DESCRIBES A CRITICAL CONDITION. ANN ZENK FROM THE WISCONSIN
HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION JOINS US NOW.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE. >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO IN WHAT HOSPITAL POSITIONS ARE THE SHORTAGES MOST ACUTE?
>> I THINK THE BIGGEST IMPACT RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE THERE'S SUCH
A LARGE PART OF OUR WORKFORCE, IS THE REGISTERED NURSE
SHORTAGE. >> AND SO WHAT HAPPENS FOR THE
DAY-TO-DAYCARE OF PATIENTS WHEN A HOSPITAL IS SHORT OF THOSE
NURSES? >> FOR NURSING, REGISTERED
NURSES CAN FILL LOTS OF ROLES ON HEALTHCARE TEAMS.
SO A SHORTAGE LEAVES LOTS OF GAPS.
THAT MIGHT MEAN STAFF WORKING IN ROLES BESIDES THE ONES THEY
NORMALLY DO. IT MIGHT MEAN THEY HAVE TO WORK
IN DIFFERENT AREAS. THEY'RE CERTAINLY BEING ASKED TO
WORK EXTRA SHIFTS OR DIFFERENT SHIFTS.
ECT PATIENT CARE?
RIGHT? BECAUSE THEY'RE TRYING TO DO
EVERYTHING THEY CAN DO TO FILL, BUT WHAT ABOUT PATIENT CARE?
>> YEP. YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT.
HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS IN HOSPITALS, IT'S OUR JOB TO MAKE
SURE PATIENTS GET THE CARE THEY úNEED, BUT WHEN THERE ARE STAFF
SHORTAGES OR INTERRUPTIONS IN THE CONTINUUM OF CARE, PATIENTS
WAIT LONGER, THEY MIGHT HAVE TO TRAVEL FARTHER FOR CARE, THEY
MIGHT EVEN END UP COMING TO THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT.
>> WHY HASN'T THE STAFFING SITUATION RIGHTED ITSELF
FOLLOWING COVID? >> THERE'S SO MANY FACTORS.
I'D SAY THE PREDOMINANT ONE, AND UNFORTUNATELY ONE THAT WE REALLY
CAN'T INFLUENCE MUCH, IS WHAT WE CALL THE SILVER TSUNAMI, THE
SURGES OF RETIREMENT AS BABY BOOMERS AGE.
THAT'S A BIG GENERATION. THE OTHER ISSUE FOR HEALTHCARE
IS THAT NOT ONLY IS OUR AVAILABLE WORKFORCE SHRINKING
BUT HEALTHCARE DEMAND IS ESCALATING.
SO AS FAR AS THAT SILVER TSUNAMI, AS YOU REFERRED TO IT,
HOW LIKELY IS IT THAT PROGRAMS PRODUCING A SCHOOL OF NURSING
PIPELINE AND CAREER ADVANCEMENT CAN KEEP PACE WITH THOSE
RETIREMENTS? OME OF THOSE
PROGRAMS ARE NOW REALLY CRANKING UP.
>> YEP. FOR SHORTER-TERM CREDENTIALS,
THOSE FRONTLINE TECHNICAL POSITIONS THAT TAKE A YEAR OR
TWO TO ACHIEVE, WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO CLOSE THOSE GAPS.
FOR LONGER-TERM CREDENTIALS LIKE NURSES AND PHYSICIANS, WE JUST
CAN'T KEEP PACE WITH THE INCREASED HEALTHCARE DEMAND AND
THERE'S LOTS OF BABY BOOM NURSES FROM THE '70s AND '80s WHO
ARE NOW GOING TO RETIRE. SO IT'S KIND OF UNLIKELY THAT
OUR WORKFORCE CAN GROW FAST ENOUGH.
>> YOU SPOKE TO THIS AS WELL, BUT ALL OF THIS IS HAPPENING IN
A STATE, WISCONSIN, THAT'S RANKED AS HAVING AN OLDER
POPULATION, AND SO THIS OLDER POPULATION NEEDS MORE CARE,
FURTHER SQUEEZING THIS WHOLE SITUATION.
>> CORRECT. WHAT WE'RE ALSO SEEING IN
HOSPITALS AND HEALTH SYSTEMS IS A PAIR SHIFT.
THE INSURANCE PATIENTS HAVE, THEIR PAYER IS CHANGING.
AS WE ANA AGE, WE SHIFT FROM PRE INSURANCE TO MEDICARE AND
SOMETIMES AS OUR RESOURCE SHRINK, EVEN TO MEDICAID, AND WE
KNOW THAT MEDICARE AND MEDICAID RATES DON'T COVER THE FULL COST
OF CARE. >> SO THIS IS HAPPENING ACROSS
THE STATE. OF COURSE IT'S ACUTELY FELT
RIGHT NOW IN KIND OF THE NORTHWEST PART OF THE STATE WITH
THE CLOSURE OF 19 CLINICS AND TWO HOSPITALS, ONE IN
EAU CLAIRE, ONE IN CHIPPEWA FALLS.
TO THE CLOSURE OF THOSE FACILITIES?
>> WELL, YOU SAID IT. UNTHINKABLE.
RIGHT? BUT IT'S ALSO A SIGNAL OF WHAT'S
GOING ON IN HOSPITALS, NOT JUST IN WISCONSIN, BUT ACROSS THE
STATE. GS.
IT'S WORKFORCE SHORTAGES, INCREASED LABOR COSTS, INCREASED
SUPPLY COSTS, BUT WHEN YOU REACH THAT BREAKING POINT OR THE
COMBINATION OF FACTORS, IS WHEN YOUR VOLUMES START TO SHIFT,
WHEN YOU HAVE FEWER INPATIENTS TO TAKE CARE OF, WHEN YOU'RE
GETTING LESS REIMBURSEMENT BECAUSE YOUR SERVICES YOU CAN
OFFER ARE SHRINKING. THAT CAN BE THE BREAKING POINT
FOR HOSPITAL CLOSURE, BUT WE'RE ALSO SEEING IT IN SERVICE
CLOSURES ACROSS THE STATE. >> SO VERY, VERY BRIEFLY, YOU
SAY THAT THERE ARE SIGNS OF HOPE.
>> YES. ABSOLUTELY.
HOSPITALS ARE HAVING TO RELY LESS ON TEMPORARY AGENCY STAFF,
STAFF THAT LEFT DURING THE PANDEMIC ARE COMING BACK.
WE'RE SEEING THAT. THAT'S GREAT.
WE'RE ALSO SEEING FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE BEFORE THE PANDEMIC
ENROLLMENTS INCREASE IN HEALTHCARE PROGRAMS, AND THAT'S
AWESOME. >> WE'LL BE LOOKING TO NEXT
YEAR'S REPORT TO SEE THE SIGNS YEAR'S REPORT TO SEE THE SIGNS