HospSysDigest2015

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DEMOGRAPHICS
HOSPI TALS
SANOFI / MANAGED CARE DIGEST SERIES® / WHERE INFORMATION BECOMES INTELLIGENCE.™ HOSPITALS/SYSTEMS DIGEST 2015
Ratio of Total FTE Staff Members to Occupied Bed Contracts
• From 2011 to 2013, the ratio of total full-time-
equivalent (FTE) staff members per occupied
hospital bed declined 8.9%. The physician-
assistant ratio decreased most (–10.0%).
• Among the profiled FTE staffing ratios that
increased from 2011 to 2013, physical therapists
(17.6%), registered nurses (15.5%) and registered
pharmacists (14.3%) recorded the largest gains.
Key Takeaway
Many rural areas report a shortage of health care providers, particularly in primary care.3 Over the
last decade, a number of federal programs designed to improve access to and reduce the costs of
care in rural areas have focused on using registered nurses, as well as advanced practice registered
nurses, to deliver care, possibly accounting for high nurse-to-occupied bed ratios in small hospitals.
Data source: IMS Health © 2015
HOSPITAL STAFFING RATIOS1
FTEs PER OCCUPIED BED 2011 2012 2013
Staff Physicians 0.38 0.35 0.41
Resident Physicians 0.35 0.34 0.37
Registered Nurses 2.77 2.70 3.20
Licensed Practical Nurses 0.66 0.59 0.64
Physician Assistants 0.20 0.15 0.18
Registered Pharmacists 0.14 0.14 0.16
Occupational Therapists 0.09 0.08 0.10
Inhalation Therapists 0.24 0.22 0.25
Physical Therapists 0.17 0.17 0.20
All Other Employees 7.13 6.91 7.11
TOTAL FTE STAFF2 12.13 11.65 11.05
NUMBER OF FTE REGISTERED NURSES PER OCCUPIED BED, BY NUMBER OF BEDS
1 Hospital data are based on all short-term, acute-care, nonfederal hospitals and are effective as of end-of-year 2013. Psychiatric, rehabilitation
and children’s hospitals are excluded.
2 Column totals represent the average of each facility’s total full-time-equivalent employees. Therefore, the totals cannot be derived by adding the
numbers in the columns.
3
<50 Beds 50–119 Beds 120–249 Beds 250+ Beds Overall Average
1
2
3
4
5
FTEs per Occupied Bed
3.97
3.78
4.53
2.42
2.60
2.90
1.99 2.07
2.24
1.94 2.05
2.18
2.77 2.70
3.20
2011 2012 2013
Number of Registered Nurses per Occupied Bed Rises at Hospitals, Regardless of Size
• The ratio of FTE registered nurses per occupied
bed, by number of beds, increased in hospitals
of all sizes between 2011 and 2013. Those with
50–119 beds recorded the largest rise (19.8%).
• Hospitals with fewer than 50 beds had the highest
ratio of FTE registered nurses per occupied bed
in 2011 (3.97), 2012 (3.78) and 2013 (4.53). Each
year, this ratio topped the overall average.