New pay-for-performance measures and changes in insurance and Medicare reimbursement rates are having a growing impact on the bottom line.1 Studies have shown that having adequate nurse staffing can prevent many adverse events and increase patient satisfaction, therefore improving financial health, yet some facilities still see nursing as merely an expense.
Here are just seven of the ways that adequate nurse staffing can help support a healthy bottom line.
1. Nurses can help prevent costly patient errors. Nurse staffing shortages result in less time spent with patients. As the primary caregivers, having the right nurses can help prevent potential errors that impact patient outcomes, reimbursement rates and potential lawsuits.
2. Nurses improve patient flow. Having enough nurses to properly manage patient flow affects how many cases an ASC can perform. Without enough nurses to manage the perioperative process, fewer patients can be treated and surgeries could be postponed or cancelled, all of which can reduce the capacity for revenue.
3. Nurses influence individual patient choices for care. Nurses spend more time with patients than all other healthcare workers. Therefore, patient satisfaction levels tend to evolve around how safe and well cared-for the nursing staff makes them feel. Patients can also have a strong influence over the healthcare choices of their friends and family. Without proper nursing staff, patients and the people they refer may choose to look to other facilities for treatment.
4. Nurses influence publicly disclosed patient satisfaction metrics. The Internet has made it possible for patient satisfaction ratings to be available to virtually anyone. In a consumer-driven market, many patients will do their homework and seek treatment at facilities that are highly rated by other patients.
5. Nurses can help maintain reimbursement rates. Since nurses are at the frontline of care, they are more likely than other healthcare workers to notice and prevent adverse events, which are no longer reimbursable by Medicare or other insurance programs.
6. Nurses reduce staff turnover cost. Without enough nurses to handle the patient load, a nursing staff is likely to feel overworked and overburdened, which leads to attrition and high turnover rates. Turnover can cost up to $70,000 per nurse turned.2 Adequate nurse staffing can also prevent surgery cancellation due to both planned and unplanned absences such as sick days, Family Medical Leave Act coverage and extended leaves of absence.
7. Nurses provide flexible staffing options. For planned or unplanned changes in the patient population, adequate nurse staffing can ensure that patients are always well cared-for. Utilizing a forecasting model can help you be flexible with nurse staffing, strategically planning for changes in case loads, facility expansions, seasonal trends or other center needs. It can also help you plan for staffing changes with travel nurses, per diem, float pools and permanent staff. The right nurse-to-patient ratio allows the ASC to focus on the areas that will benefit them while still providing patients with the best in care.
Ms. Faller (marcia.faller@amnhealthcare.com) is executive vice president and chief clinical officer for AMN Healthcare, one of the largest healthcare staffing companies in the United States and one of the largest nationwide provider in all three of its business lines: travel nurse and allied staffing, locum tenens staffing (temporary physician staffing) and physician permanent placement. Learn more about AMN Healthcare.
1. American Hospital Association, 2007, Ensuring Adequate Resources for Patients and Communities, www.aha.org.
2. Aiken, L.H,, Clarke, S.P., Xue, Y., & Sloan, D.M. (2007) Supplemental nurse staffing in hospitals and quality of care. Journal of Nursing Administration, 37 (7/8), 335-342.
