My View of the AHA Position on Workforce Issues
The American Hospital Association (AHA) offers powerful ideas in order to support many caregivers. An engaged workforce can improve the quality of healthcare in the United States. The AHA uses powerful strategies in order to address various workforce issues in the country.
The agency uses the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to promote the best practices. The AHA “ensures that the country’s healthcare system supports the needs of different communities” (Bovbjerg, Ormond, & Pindus, 2009, p. 4). The PPACA created a commission to address the issues affecting many healthcare institutions.
The American Hospital Association focuses on different workforce issues. To begin with, the organization collaborates with various stakeholders in the health sector. This “practice makes it easier for the AHA to identify new resources, policies, and strategies” (Bovbjerg et al., 2009, p. 5).
Such policies support the changing needs of many caregivers in the country. The AHA is also “the national advocate for many American hospitals” (Sultz & Young, 2011, p. 39). The AHA deals with different issues such as employee-relations and shortages.
The agency collaborates with different institutions and medical facilities. This approach ensures more individuals to join various medical professions. The organization also promotes various practices in order to increase the supply of caregivers. This “approach will eventually address the issue of workforce shortage” (Sultz & Young, 2011, p. 47). The organization has also been undertaking new studies.
Such studies examine the major obstacles affecting the country’s healthcare system. The AHA also presents powerful recommendations that can improve the working conditions of many clinicians (Bovbjerg et al., 2009). The AHA has offered three recommendations in order to deal with the above problems. These proposals include “redesigning the nature of medical practice, attracting a large number of new caregivers, and retaining every existing nurse” (Bovbjerg et al., 2009, p. 9).
The AHA also presents powerful leadership skills that can improve the performance of different caregivers. The organization also promotes the best employee-patient relations. The Employee Free Choice Act will “improve the nature of employee relationships in different working environments” (Sultz & Young, 2011, p. 72).
The agency encourages more institutions to “have appropriate staffing patterns” (Zywiak, 2014, p. 4). This approach will also ensure every patient gets the best care. The AHA also expects every medical institution to support its workers. The AHA encourages different facilities “to use appropriate procedures such as mandatory lifting” (Zywiak, 2014, p. 3).
Some institutions use the concept of Unavoidable Overtime (UO) in order to achieve their goals. That being the case, the AHA encourages such institutions to embrace the best workplace procedures. The important goal is addressing the major challenges affecting different caregivers.
Workforce Shortages
According to the American Hospital Association, the issue of workforce shortage will continue to affect the quality of healthcare in the country. Many caregivers will be looking for greener pastures in the coming years. This fact explains why many healthcare facilities offer inadequate medical services to their patients. This problem is currently affecting the American healthcare system.
The rate of “employee turnover is on the rise” (Zywiak, 2014, p. 7). The government has identified a number of measures to address the problem. According to Sultz and Young (2011), new strategies are needed in order to address this workforce issue.
The reduced number of healthcare providers will definitely affect the quality of medical care. The existing employees will have to work for more hours. This practice will “result in burnout and high employee turnover” (Zywiak, 2014, p. 5). However, the AHA has been promoting new practices in order to deal with this problem.
New provisions are also needed in order “to increase the supply of different caregivers” (Sultz & Young, 2011, p. 82). Every organization should embrace the best strategies in order to retain its nurses. This practice will support the diverse needs of different communities. This workforce issue can make it impossible for many patients to get quality care. The shortage of medical practitioners will also affect many American societies.
I strongly believe that the ideas presented by the AHA can produce the best outcomes. The agency encourages “different employers to become more attractive” (Sultz & Young, 2011, p. 65). Such employers should promote the best workplace relations. They should create cohesive teams in order to achieve the best goals.
New studies are required in order to identify the major regions affected by this problem. This understanding will make it easier for the government to deal with the above issue. Every learning institution should encourage more people to join various medical professions (Sultz & Young, 2011). I also support most of the recommendations presented by the American Hospital Association.
Every employer should be ready to “redesign the nature of medical practice” (Zywiak, 2014, p. 9). Such employers should also use proper incentives in order to attract more practitioners. Every medical facility should also improve its working environment. This approach will eventually address the above workforce issue.
Reference List
Bovbjerg, R., Ormond, B., & Pindus, N. (2009). The Nursing Workforce Challenge: Public Policy for a Dynamic and Complex Market. Web.
Sultz, H., & Young, K. (2011). Healthcare USA: Understanding its Organization and Delivery. Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning.
Zywiak, W. (2014). U.S. Healthcare Workforce Shortages: Caregivers. Web.