To Follow the Money, Follow the Workforce
Dramatic headlines now highlight profiteering in hospice services.This should not be a surprise to those who track workforce. Hospice has consumed steadily more nurses in recent HRSA nursing reports. When the nation sends more spending to a service, more workforce follows because workforce is required to be able to deliver the services. Nurses have moved steadily toward higher pay and toward the most lines of revenue with the highest revenue in each line just like physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners. All also move toward higher pay for less hours as well. About 85% of nurses are forced though hospital entry positions after nursing school - by designs that send the most spending to hospitals. Witness the current nursing problems as hospitals have already ratcheted back. With 30% more spending compared to the costs of delivering care, health services expand rapidly - as in just about any other health care business. More profits draw more investors and resul...