Dive Brief:
- Six regional health systems are forming an alliance to share resources and information related to key workforce challenges facing hospitals nationwide as the pandemic hits the two-year mark, according to a Thursday press release.
- The partnership, named Evolve Health Alliance, includes Florida-based Advent Health, North Carolina-based Atrium Health, Michigan-based Henry Ford Health System, Utah-based Intermountain Healthcare, New York-based Northwell Health and Ohio-based OhioHealth.
- The systems will participate in reciprocal staffing arrangements and exchange information on best practices for improving diversity and employees' well-being and engagement, along with other labor-related insights.
Dive Insight:
The systems involved in the partnership have already shared information and resources during COVID-19 surges, according to the release. At one point, Intermountain deployed 48 employees to Northwell, and Northwell later returned the favor when Utah faced a wave of virus cases.
Those kinds of agreements are included in the compact between six health systems across the country with the formation of Evolve Health Alliance.
The group will also focus heavily on improving employee engagement and efforts to better retain their existing workforces. Part of that will involve shared skills development opportunities and programs for both clinical and non-clinical staff to collaborate and trade ideas with other systems.
"We know this alliance will help us evolve policies, practices and initiatives that ultimately benefit our patients and the communities we serve," Heather Brace, senior vice president and chief people officer of Intermountain, who also serves as co-chair of Evolve Health Alliance, said in the release.
The partnership comes as health systems confront dire staffing shortages with few solutions as burnout and higher-paying traveling nurse positions spur healthcare workers across the country to leave their permanent roles.
Hospitals in turn have seen elevated labor expenses and have spent more on salaries, sign-on bonuses and contract labor through recent surges.
Industry groups and Congress are pushing for the Federal Trade Commission to investigate travel nurse staffing agencies, alleging the firms are seizing the pandemic as an opportunity to inflate rates and increase their bottom lines. The agency has yet to do so.
Other systems with footprints across multiple states like UPMC have formed internal staffing agencies to shift their workforce between areas with the greatest need and better retain current staff.