AHA leader urges action to address health care workforce challenges

In a column published today by Modern Healthcare, AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack urges action to support and grow the nation’s health care workforce, from enacting the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act to scrutinizing nurse staffing agency prices and lifting the cap on Medicare-funded physician residencies.

“A recent analysis shows there will be a shortage of up to 3.2 million healthcare workers by 2026,” Pollack writes. “These shortages combined with an aging population, a rise in chronic diseases and increased behavioral health conditions all contribute to a national emergency that demands immediate attention from healthcare leaders and policymakers at every level of government.”