Page 5 - SFHN April 2021 Revised

University of Miami’s 2021 The

Business of Health Care Conference Securing Your Talent Pipeline

Explores the Industry’s Rebound Today, Preparing for Tomorrow

The accelerating nursing shortage is well
Two former U.S. Department of Health and Human documented. 500,000 nurses are forecasted to
Services secretaries and a range of influential leaders con- retire from the workforce in the next few
vene for the University of Miami’s “2021 The Business of years, with 1.1 million needed to fill the ensu-
Health Care” virtual conference on April 16 to address the ing and growing gap.
sector’s recovery in the wake of the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the
As the world continues to grapple with the pandemic issues facing an imperiled industry. Hospital
and inch painstakingly toward a new normal with vaccine units overflowed and scrambled to meet the
relief, U.S. health care leaders representing the major need, burning through budgets paying the
industry sections together with several regional health premium rates of staffing agencies or mandat-
ministers will convene for a half-day virtual conference to ed overtime, and burning out clinical staff,
explore impacts and innovations to chart the way forward. BY BREE BECKER, MSN, who bear the burden of the toll.
“There’s no underestimating the value of bringing all FNP-C, RNC-MNN It doesn’t have to be this way.
these leaders together in one place during this pivotal Dr. Steven Ullmann The healthcare staffing industry is woefully
time for health care,” said Steven Ullmann, director of the behind the technology innovation curve. Most
Center for Health Management and Policy at the University of Miami Patti and Allan facilities rely on outdated, inefficient and expensive modes for filling staffing
Herbert Business School. “To learn from their significant insights on how we manage positions. To address this issue, a technology company called Matchwell
the many aspects that have come out of the pandemic and how best to move forward, developed a cloud-based marketplace to bring efficiency, transparency and
offers incredible benefit to us all.” cost-savings to facilities, and empowerment to the workforce.
Panelists and speakers will explore a range of health care issues - from clinical to The model is simple. Matchwell recruits and pre-qualifies clinicians inter-
policy to financial - that have impacted the industry at both the macro and micro lev- ested in long-term contracts or picking up per diem shifts. The platform
els. matches clinician credentials, skills, and availability to the requirements and
Donna Shalala, former congresswoman and former president of the University of scheduling gaps of healthcare facilities.
Miami, and Alex Azar - who both previously served as secretary of the U.S. Clinicians get a little more control of their schedules. Facilities have unlim-
Department of Health and Human Services - headline the last session of the day, ited access to expanding pools of pre-vetted clinicians with a monthly sub-
“Health Care in a Changing Political Landscape.” scription and can even hire anyone onto their own payroll without a buyout
University President Julio Frenk, a global health expert whose insights have been fee. All communication and pricing is transparent and direct. Matchwell
sought frequently during the pandemic, will introduce the opening panel on “Health donates a vaccine with every match.
and Economy in the Americas.” The session includes the director of the Pan Matchwell’s founder and CEO, Robert Crowe, states:
American Health Organization as well as health ministers from Uruguay and Costa “I was a 20 year staffing veteran when I realized I
Rica, among others. was on the wrong team. We were making our prof-
In what has become a conference standard, heads of the leading professional health its in the margin between facility bill rates and cli-
organizations serve as keynote panelists for the second session. Moderated by Pat nician pay rates. There was always a loser in the
Geraghty, president and CEO of Florida Blue and GuideWell, presenting sponsor of equation, and it was rarely the agency. When
the conference, the panel will include Susan Bailey, president, American Medical healthcare organizations everywhere are hurting for
Association; Matthew Eyles, president and CEO, America’s Health Insurance Plans; staff, agencies have the upper hand in pricing con-
Joseph Fifer, president and CEO, Healthcare Financial Management Association; versations. So, I left and founded Matchwell. As it
Halee Fischer-Wright, president and CEO, Medical Group Management Association; turns out, everybody wins when you remove the
Ernest Grant, president, American Nurses Association; and Lisa Kidder Hrobsky, middleman.”
group vice president, Federal Relations, American Hospital Association. The healthcare industry learned many lessons
The conference, celebrating its 10th anniversary, will be offered virtually for the this year. Chief among them that we are in this
second time. Nearly 1,500 people registered for the gathering held last October, post- together. It is time for a staffing solution that pro- Robert Crowe
poned from its scheduled spring date because of the pandemic. motes this value and reflects this truth.
“We started as a regional conference and have grown to become a global gathering
with significant impact - truly an indication that the issues that we discuss and debate For more information, visit www.wematchwell.com.
have earned that level of import,” said Ullmann, noting that Florida Blue has provid-
ed support as a major supporter since the start. https://www.healthtechzone.com/topics/healthcare/articles/2019/09/25/443350-
Ullmann highlighted that the online platform has amplified the conference’s reach, impact-technological-innovations-healthcare.htm

attracting professionals from business and health care environments around the https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/workforce/
world and also an increasing number of students.
https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/work-environment/health-safety/dis-
“2021 The Business of Health Care” takes place Friday, April 16, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. aster-preparedness/coronavirus/what-you-need-to-know/year-one-covid-19-impact-
assessment-survey/
EDT. For more information, contact healthcare@bus.miami.edu.

South Florida Hospital News southfloridahospitalnews.com April 2021 5