By John Pritchard
In a recent blog post, Byron Jobe, president and chief executive officer of Vizient, lays out a problem that will challenge all U.S. Healthcare Supply Chain stakeholders for the rest of our careers — the current and seemingly never-ending shortage of nurses. Not only does he lay out the problem clearly, he also details a program that is moving the pace of improvement markedly.
A couple months ago, I may have only seen this as a financial burden put upon our Hospitals and IDNs, and the unintended consequences it has on their supply budgets. But earlier this summer I personally saw the struggle that nursing shortages put on hospitals, families and, most importantly – patients, as I tended to a family member who had an extended hospitalization. I witnessed it at 8 a.m., at lunch time, and in the middle of the night. It was a harrowing experience.