NHS FPX 6008 Assessment 3 Business Case for Change

Name

Capella university

NHS-FPX 6008 Economics and Decision Making in Health Care

Prof. Name

Date

Business Case for Change

Hello, everyone, and welcome to today’s presentation on change implementation within NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital for a substantial healthcare economic issue – nursing shortages in critical care areas. My name is _______, and in today’s presentation, I will explore the healthcare economic issue from a financial perspective, highlighting actions to address the challenges. 

Summarizing the Issue and Its Impact 

Nursing shortages in the United States are a significant healthcare economic issue, particularly influencing hospitals in urban areas like New York. A report recognizes the need for an additional 275,000 registered nurses within the US, 40,000 specifically for the New York state to fill vacant nursing positions by the year 2030 (Haddad et al., 2023; New York State Department of Health, 2023). Contributing factors include an aging workforce, nurses’ brain drain, poor workplace environment, excessive workload, nurses’ burnout, and limited capacity in nursing education programs. Within NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, these shortages impact patient care due to personnel constraints, ultimately leading to medical errors, poor patient outcomes, and ineffective organizational workflows. 

Nursing shortages have turned our work into a daily battle. Overwhelmed by high patient-to-nurse ratios, my colleagues and I are stretched thin, leading to exhaustion and burnout. We struggle to provide the compassionate care our patients deserve, often missing breaks and working late hours. The constant pressure diminishes our morale and mental health, causing many to leave the profession. This vicious cycle leaves us even more short-staffed, affecting patient safety and care quality. Organizationally, this issue is increasing our reliance on costly temporary staff and overtime pay, driving up operational costs and straining the hospital’s budget (Beauvais et al., 2023).

NHS FPX 6008 Assessment 3 Business Case for Change

For the community we serve, especially vulnerable and underserved populations, nursing shortages are resulting in longer wait times, limited healthcare facilities, compromised care quality, and adverse health outcomes, exacerbating healthcare disparities (Peng et al., 2023). Thus, this initiative is not just a professional obligation and will not only improve working conditions for me and my colleagues, but it is also a moral responsibility as healthcare providers to ensure that all patients receive the high-quality care they deserve. Furthermore, addressing this crisis is crucial to restoring our well-being, improving patient outcomes, and providing a sustainable, supportive healthcare environment for all.

Feasibility and Cost-Benefit Considerations

Addressing nursing shortages is connected with several feasibility and cost-effective outcomes for our organization. 

Feasibility Considerations 

Addressing nursing shortages is highly feasible through targeted investments such as improving working conditions and retention programs. According to Sharma and Rani (2020), an adequate nurse-to-patient ratio in critical care areas is linked with higher patient satisfaction due to the provision of proper nursing care. Moreover, a supportive environment and a limited number of patients reduce nurses’ workload, significantly minimizing turnover rates and fostering a sustainable workforce. The organization can utilize technology, like advanced scheduling software, to optimize nursing workflows and reduce administrative burdens. 

Simultaneously, nurse retention strategies such as career development and recognition programs can enhance nurse satisfaction and reduce turnover (Pressley & Garside, 2023). Providing opportunities for professional growth can empower nurses, improving their skills and career progression. The organization can provide continuing education credits and national and international training opportunities for nurses. Moreover, implementing recognition programs, such as monthly recognition events and daily appreciation, can foster a positive work environment. These strategies improve job satisfaction and create a sense of loyalty and commitment to the profession, ultimately reducing turnover rates. These solutions are practical and feasible to be integrated into existing healthcare infrastructures with a clear plan and commitment from stakeholders.

Cost-Benefit Considerations 

The cost-benefit analysis strongly supports addressing nursing shortages. A study by Lasater et al. (2021) showed that hospitals in New York State that implement a 1:4 nurse-to-patient ratio can significantly save up to $720 million by preventing hospital readmissions and reducing length of stay. Thus, by lowering the nurse-to-patient ratio through effective workload management and a supportive environment, we will observe substantial enhancements in New York-Presbyterian Hospital’s financial stability.

Simultaneously, retaining experienced and qualified nurses is interlinked with monetary benefits. According to Yang (2021), healthcare facilities in the New York state are spending 11.7% of their budget on temporary staffing solutions. This same study further elaborates that retaining newly graduated nurses through career progression and other retention programs may result in a cost savings of $735 per nurse, which reduces the nurse turnover rate annually, saving more than $15 million for the facilities (Yang, 2021). Thus, the financial benefits of addressing nursing shortages far outweigh the costs, making it a sound economic decision for our healthcare organization.

Mitigating Risks to Financial Security

To mitigate the risks of financial insecurity associated with nursing shortages, we can employ three specific strategies: optimizing resource allocation, strategic workforce planning, and leveraging technology. 

Optimize Resource Allocation

Utilizing advanced scheduling software and predictive analytics can help optimize nurse staffing by aligning resources with patient demand. In the literature, it is revealed that adopting the Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model could help to optimize the staff deployment and patient flow and analyze the overtime cost and resource utilization for the purpose of enhancing the health care quality while reducing costs (Yinusa & Faezipour, 2023). This approach will assist our organization in avoiding getting trapped in temporary staffing solutions, optimizing the use of resources, and minimizing operational expenses. 

Strategic Workforce Planning

These plans include forecasting future staffing requirements based on demographics, patients’ needs, and rate of healthcare consumption. In this way, healthcare organizations can avoid existing in a state of reactive panic when these needs arise and, instead, minimize their reliance on expensive temporary staff and overtime, which ultimately would result in considerable cost savings (Beauvais et al., 2023). Strategic planning must also open opportunities for addressing the requirement that our organization will, in the future, be costly but also able to meet demands without any detriment to the standard of care it delivers to its stakeholders.

Leverage Technology

Executing ideas like electronic health records, appreciable adjustments can be made in handling the administration work in order to lessen the load on the nursing staff. This makes it easier for the nurses to dedicate a lot of time to tending to the needs of their patients and this leads to better quality as well as the elimination of mistakes (Upadhyay & Hu, 2022). For instance, EHRs can help with documentation to cut the time that nurses spend on writing. Despite the fact that the integration of EHRs may require capital expenditure, such technological implementation of change is cost-effective as it enables reduction of costs attributable to increased operational effectiveness besides costs incident to medical errors and re-admissions in hospitals. 

Proposed Changes to Address Nursing Shortages

My proposed change implementation plan for NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital concentrates on improving the workplace environment by reducing the patient-to-nurse ratio and creating a supportive environment. Another solution includes nurse retention, which focuses on career development opportunities and staff recognition programs. Reducing the nurse-to-patient ratio ensures that each nurse is responsible for fewer patients, which, according to the literature, is 1:1 or 1:2 for critical care areas (Nakweenda et al., 2022). This strategy allows for more focused and higher-quality care by reducing workload, decreasing burnout, and increasing job satisfaction among nurses. Similarly, creating a supportive environment involves fostering a culture of collaboration and providing adequate support staff to handle non-clinical tasks. This enables nurses to concentrate on patient care, improving their efficiency and effectiveness.

Additionally, implementing retention programs that offer career development opportunities and recognition can significantly enhance nurse satisfaction and retention (Pressley & Garside, 2023). Career development programs provide nurses with opportunities for continuous learning, specialization, and advancement within the organization. This not only improves their skills and competencies but also enhances their commitment to the organization. Likewise, recognition programs that acknowledge and reward nurses’ hard work and achievements foster a sense of value and appreciation, boosting morale and commitment to patient care. 

Potential Benefits to the Organization, Colleagues, and Community  

These solutions can lead to numerous organizational benefits. A reduced nurse-to-patient ratio enhances patient safety and care quality, leading to better health outcomes and higher patient satisfaction (Nakweenda et al., 2022). This ultimately improves the hospital’s reputation and attracts more patients. Additionally, these strategies reduce turnover rates, saving the organization significant costs associated with recruitment, training, and onboarding new staff. 

For my colleagues and I, these changes lead to a more manageable workload, reducing stress and burnout. This will improve our overall job satisfaction and work-life balance, contributing to better mental and physical health (Pressley & Garside, 2023). Career development opportunities will allow us to grow our professional competencies and take on new challenges, keeping us engaged and motivated. Recognition programs will foster a positive work culture where we will feel valued and appreciated, further enhancing job satisfaction and retention.

The broader community benefits from improved nurse staffing levels and working conditions through enhanced healthcare quality and accessibility. With more attentive and less overworked nurses, patients receive better care, leading to improved health outcomes and reduced hospital readmissions. This is particularly important for underserved and vulnerable populations who rely heavily on hospital-based care (Peng et al., 2023). Additionally, stable nurse staffing ensures that healthcare facilities can meet the demands of the community efficiently, providing timely and effective care to all patients.

Solutions Addressing Cultural and Ethical Considerations

The proposed solutions to improve working conditions and implement retention programs are designed to be culturally sensitive, ethical, and equitable. Reducing the nurse-to-patient ratio and adequate support staff for nurses ensures that all patients receive more personalized and attentive care (Lasater et al., 2021), emphasizing the ethical principle of justice and equitability. Similarly, offering career development and recognition programs to all nurses ensures these initiatives promote nurses’ autonomy and inclusivity. These programs are merit-based and transparent, providing equal opportunities for growth and recognition, regardless of a nurse’s background. Additionally, these programs result in financial benefits due to reduced turnover and improved patient outcomes, which help lower healthcare costs (Yang, 2021). Ethically, these solutions prioritize patient safety and nurse well-being, aligning with the principles of beneficence and non-maleficence. 

The proposed changes ensure equitable access to quality care for all community groups. By maintaining manageable nurse workloads, patient care becomes more efficient and personalized, reducing disparities in access, especially in underserved areas. Nurse retention strategies stabilize staff levels and lower recruitment costs. This cost-efficiency supports reinvestment in community care, keeping services affordable. These solutions promote both fair access and affordability across all patient populations. By addressing nursing shortages, these solutions promote a sustainable and equitable healthcare system that benefits the entire community.

Conclusion

In conclusion, nursing shortages are a significant healthcare economic issue that impacts staff well-being, organizational efficiency, and the populations and communities we serve. In this presentation, I highlighted the feasibility and cost-effective considerations associated with the issue, thus advocating the need for change implementation. We discussed effective evidence-based strategies to mitigate financial security risks and solutions to address nursing shortages. These solutions are culturally sensitive, inclusive, and grounded in ethical principles, creating a quality healthcare landscape and building a more sustainable healthcare system.

References

Beauvais, B., Kruse, C. S., Ramamonjiarivelo, Z., Pradhan, R., Sen, K., & Fulton, L. V. (2023). An exploratory analysis of the association between hospital labor costs and the quality of care. Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, 16, 1075–1091. https://doi.org/10.2147/rmhp.s410296 

Haddad, L. M., Butler, T. J. T., & Annamaraju, P. (2023). Nursing shortage. National Library of Medicine; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493175/

Lasater, K. B., Aiken, L. H., Sloane, D. M., French, R., Anusiewicz, C. V., Martin, B., Reneau, K., Alexander, M., & McHugh, M. D. (2021). Is hospital nurse staffing legislation in the public’s interest? Medical Care, 59(5). https://doi.org/10.1097/mlr.0000000000001519 

Nakweenda, M., Anthonie, R., & van der Heever, M. (2022). Staff shortages in critical care units: Critical care nurses experiences. International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences, 17, 100412. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijans.2022.100412 

New York State Department of Health. (2023, May 10). New York State Department of Health honors 350,000 nurses in observance of National Nurses Week, May 6 – 12. Health.ny.gov. https://www.health.ny.gov/press/releases/2023/2023-05-10_nurses_week.htm

NHS FPX 6008 Assessment 3 Business Case for Change

Peng, X., Ye, Y., Ding, X. (David), & Chandrasekaran, A. (2023). The impact of nurse staffing on turnover and quality: An empirical examination of nursing care within hospital units. Journal of Operations Management, 69(7). https://doi.org/10.1002/joom.1245

Pressley, C., & Garside, J. (2023). Safeguarding the retention of nurses: A systematic review on determinants of nurse’s intentions to stay. Nursing Open, 10(5). https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.1588 

Sharma, S. K., & Rani, R. (2020). Nurse-to-patient ratio and nurse staffing norms for hospitals in India: A critical analysis of national benchmarks. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 9(6), 2631–2637. https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_248_20

Upadhyay, S., & Hu, H. (2022). A qualitative analysis of the impact of electronic health records (EHR) on healthcare quality and safety: Clinicians’ lived experiences. Health Services Insights, 15(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1177/11786329211070722 

Yang, W. H. (2021). Increasing nursing retention to reduce financial costs. Iris Journal of Nursing & Care, 3(4). https://doi.org/10.33552/ijnc.2021.03.000570

NHS FPX 6008 Assessment 3 Business Case for Change

Yinusa, A., & Faezipour, M. (2023). Optimizing healthcare delivery: A model for staffing, patient assignment, and resource allocation. Applied System Innovation, 6(5), 78. https://doi.org/10.3390/asi6050078