Why Is It So Difficult To See My Physician?

with Melanie Brim, President and CEO of the Michigan Health Council.

 

Have you noticed it’s increasingly difficult to schedule an appointment with a medical specialist? If you’re calling for the first time, perhaps you’re being told the doctor is no longer accepting “new patients.” Or, when they do offer an appointment, it’s for a date several months in the future. If you’re wondering why it’s so hard to get in to see a doctor these days, it could be because our country is in the midst of a serious healthcare crisis. The entire healthcare industry is experiencing such a severe staffing shortage of trained, qualified employees that public health officials regard it as one of the nation’s top patient safety concerns. For patients, the lack of trained hospital staff means longer wait times for emergency room visits, inadequate, or even subpar, patient care along with an increased risk of hospital-acquired infections. But the problem isn’t just limited to hospitals.

 

Numerous clinics and healthcare facilities across the country have been forced to shut their doors because they lack the staff to keep them open. This means patients have to travel much farther for treatment. Although our healthcare system experienced staffing challenges prior to COVID-19, particularly among the nursing profession, the pandemic greatly magnified the problem.

 

The pandemic left our healthcare professionals mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted, and as healthcare workers began leaving the field en masse, that only increased the staffing shortage which led to additional stress and burnout for the remaining employees. Where does the situation stand today? What can we do to address and improve the healthcare staffing shortage? What does it mean for patient care? If you want to learn the answers to these questions and more, you’ll want to listen to my interview with Melanie Brim, President and CEO of the Michigan Health Council. Melanie is going to speak with us about how the MHC researches trends and identifies solutions for these issues. We’ll also discuss what lies ahead for patients and our healthcare industry.

 

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

What is the role of the Michigan Health Council?

The educational role of the Next Generation Health Careers Academy and Scrubs Club programs is to get the next generations excited about leadership opportunities and careers in the healthcare industry.

Where does the MHC get its funding?

Melanie’s concern about a much smaller labor force coming, and how to compete with other industries such as tech and engineering.

Does MHC work with nursing schools?

Are there health councils all over the country doing things similar to what the Michigan Health Council is doing?

What impact has the pandemic had on healthcare professionals in Michigan?

Why are patients being told that it can take several months to get an appointment to see a physician?

What should patients do that need an appointment ASAP?

How does the staffing shortage impact other employees such as pharmacists, home health care workers, or dialysis centers?

With a shrinking talent pool, what steps can healthcare employers take to attract new employees while retaining current healthcare professionals?

How can hospitals support healthcare workers more?

While we wait to see the doctor, what can telehealth and telemedicine do?

 

Today’s Takeaway:

 Unfortunately, the pandemic caught us all by surprise and we were unprepared for the level of devastation that took place. While we hope to never experience a global event like that ever again, there are ways we can address some of the problems that still persist. It’s important to recognize that our healthcare professionals are doing the very best they can with the limited personnel and the procedures they have in place. They’re aware of the problems this presents for patients. While there are no easy answers to these ongoing issues, there are short-term solutions such as telemedicine options that can provide relief. Studying trends and forecasting staffing and other issues affecting the industry is an important part of our ability to continually improve the quality of healthcare for patients. By studying and compiling these statistics, we gain knowledge so that we’re better prepared to implement procedures to offset upcoming gaps. Remember that every day is a gift and sometimes the very best gifts arise from the painful life lessons of the past. Today’s problems give us the opportunity to learn and grow from our mistakes and provide a pathway for continued improvement and better solutions in the future. I’m Florine Mark and that’s “Today’s Takeaway.”

 

Quotes:

“We have an educational program, particularly right now with a K-5 where we go into schools and introduce some concepts about health and wellness, but then also the careers that come along with those.” — Melanie [4:50]

 “The earlier you start exposing students to the health careers, the more likely they are to decide to go into that as a field.” — Melanie [5:09]

“We actually are a very unusual nonprofit, we actually have programs that generate revenue.” — Melanie [6:34]

“We've been concerned that as a result of COVID-19 and all the media around it, young people might be kind of scared off from becoming American healthcare.” — Melanie [9:24]

“During COVID-19, the turnover rate, meaning people leaving their jobs and changing jobs, or leaving the profession, increased almost 10% in one year, which is a pretty big increase during COVID-19.” — Melanie [14:13]

“The workload for physicians is significant because they are trying to catch up with all those people who didn't get services during the year and a half at the front end of COVID-19.” — Melanie [16:03]

“For the less urgent things, I really encourage people to manage their health care to know when they need to be seeing a doctor next, and trying to get themselves booked out as far as possible.” — Melanie [19:11]

Today, you can actually make more at Arby's or McDonald's than you can as a direct care worker, as a home health aide.” — Melanie [22:06]

 

Brought to You By:

Gardner White Furniture

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Michigan Health Council