Workforce 2010

In the most recent issue of Trustee magazine, they speak about the employee workforce of 2010. There are many of the same themes we have discussed in other postings, but a very nice and concise review.

[Trustee: the magazine for health care governance]


It lists the four major fundamental areas that Trustees should proactively address to prevent serious personnel issues. These include (1) Medical science, (2) Technology, (3) Demographics, and (4) Economics.

The article specifically addresses how the Board can help facilitate these changes. The conclusion pretty much sums up the situation.

Conclusion

In the next five years, health care delivery will be reorganized around service lines that focus on consumers’ needs, not traditional “fiefdoms.” Collaborative teams—not hierarchical departments—will be key to successful organizational transformation. Tightening labor markets will necessitate retaining and retraining workers.

The relationship between a hospital and its workers—especially its physicians—will necessarily be redefined by those health care systems that thrive in the next few years. However, necessary changes in the workforce will not happen automatically. Trustees and CEOs must start providing vision, strategies and resources now so that their managers can begin making operational changes to move the workforce in the right direction over the next five years.

There is a paradigm shift in how hospitals have to cooperate with employees and physicians for future success. In my opinion, FMHHS will have an increasingly difficult time because of the current leadership mindset.