Hospitals, health systems and post-acute care providers spend nearly $39 billion a year on administrative activities related to regulatory compliance, according to a study released today by the AHA. The average-sized hospital spends $7.6 million annually to comply with federal regulations, equal to $1,200 every time a patient is admitted, and dedicates 59 full-time equivalents to the task, more than one-quarter of whom are health professionals who would otherwise be caring for patients, the study found. “There is growing frustration for those on the front lines providing care in a system that often forces them to spend more time pushing paper rather than treating patients,” said AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack. “Too often, these regulatory requirements seem detached from good and efficient patient care. The regulatory burden is substantial and unsustainable, and reducing the administrative complexity of health care would allow providers to spend more time on patients, not paperwork.” Joining AHA leaders for a Capitol Hill briefing today on the study, and how Congress and the administration could immediately ease the regulatory burden, were Andrew Thomas, M.D., chief medical officer for The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center; Katie Boston-Leary, president of the Maryland Organization of Nurse Leaders and chief nursing officer at Union Hospital in Elkton, MD; and Mark Hayes, senior vice president of federal policy and advocacy for Ascension. To access the study, and infographics on the key findings, visit www.aha.org/regrelief.

Related News Articles

Headline
The AHA May 12 responded to the Office of Management and Budget's April 11 request for information on regulatory relief, making 100 suggestions to the Trump…
Headline
The Trump administration May 5 issued two executive orders on pharmaceutical manufacturing and life-sciences research. The first executive order, "…
Headline
A Q&A in the latest edition of AHA Trustee Insights highlights how boards value the perspective of nurses. Experts interviewed include Kimberly Cleveland,…
Headline
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today released a notice seeking public comment on the collection of information request regarding the State…
Headline
Linda Burnes Bolton, former president of AHA’s American Organization for Nursing Executives (now known as the American Organization for Nursing Leadership),…
Blog
A recent article in Medical Care Journal paints a bleak picture of the future of healthcare, claiming hospitals intend to replace Registered Nurses (RNs)…