COVID-19

The end of 2019 signaled the beginning of a new paradigm in healthcare. The World Health Organization named 2020 the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife to highlight the vital role nurses play in healthcare delivery. Global health organizations sparked this initiative before COVID-19 emerged, and with cases continuing to spike across the globe, the role of nurses has never been more critical.

COVID-19 has driven an increase in temporary staffing to meet healthcare demands, and with that comes the adjusted privileging requirements of disasters and states of emergency. Typically, however, qualifying disasters are natural phenomena that might cause power outages, internet loss, or other equipment failures that make background checks difficult. COVID-19 is different.

After decades of growth and innovation, health technology took an enormous leap forward in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. From contact tracing to treatment to slowing the spread, innovative technology has been crucial in healthcare’s fight against the novel coronavirus.

Here are a few of the ways that healthcare organizations, tech developers, and researchers have leveraged technology to help curb the spread of COVID-19 and maintain a safe workforce.

During our current health crisis, it is even more vital that healthcare organizations blend patient-first care with operational expertise. Physician leaders are on the frontlines of the coronavirus crisis, and they’re under a lot of pressure to provide exceptional care while maintaining operational excellence.

The growth of technology has given consumers more choice than ever before. Providers of goods and services are expected to go beyond the bare minimum, offering an overall experience that produces real value for customers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has further raised consumer standards. Companies are expected to offer new, expanded options for consuming their goods and services that acknowledge and accommodate customers’ safety concerns.

The coronavirus pandemic sent seismic shifts through the healthcare industry, forcing organizations and workforces to evolve at a breathtaking speed. For the first time, the American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration (ASHHRA) annual conference was held virtually this past August. While many healthcare systems were gearing up for change before COVID-19 hit, the pandemic exponentially accelerated the pace of change.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has generated a litigation explosion across a wide range of issues, including privacy, discrimination, work-from-home/personal leave requests, retaliation, unsafe working conditions/lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), and wage/hours claims. There have been hundreds of business-related lawsuits filed related to the pandemic, with dozens more filed weekly. 

Here are some quick facts:

Hospitals and other healthcare organizations are increasingly focused on improving the quality of patient care. This is driven partly by the move to value-based reimbursement models, competition among healthcare companies, and the more recent COVID-19 public health emergency, which put a spotlight on healthcare’s strengths and weaknesses.

With more attention than ever placed on the quality of care, what can healthcare organizations do to improve? Here are a few ideas you should consider.

Healthcare organizations are changing and adapting at a startling velocity. COVID-19’s rapid spread accelerated changes that were on the distant horizon at the beginning of the year throughout the U.S. As human resources professionals, much of the responsibility for helping your workforce navigate the new pace of change falls squarely on your shoulders. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has vividly illustrated the high-stakes complexity of healthcare ethics and compliance. In the face of supply shortages, healthcare organizations have been forced to make life-and-death decisions regarding who can receive complete care and who can’t. But when confronted with these incredibly difficult decisions, a strong culture of ethics and compliance provides guidance.