Industry Note:
Home Care Providers See High Nurse Vacancy Rates
Published on Fri Apr 13, 2012
Despite the sluggish economy, many home care providers continue to have problems finding nurses. In fact, home health agencies and hospices have the highest vacancy rates among providers in Louisiana, notes a new nursing workforce report from the Louisiana Center for Nursing, a division of the Louisiana State Board of Nursing. Vacancy rates for HHAs are more than three times those for hospitals and twice as much as long-term care facilities, the report found. Hospice rates are close behind. And hospices have the highest RN turnover rate at 45 percent, compared to 36 percent for both long-term care facilities and psych hospitals, 35 percent for HHAs, and 17 percent for hospitals, the study says. There are many reasons for those figures. First, demand for home care is growing due to the aging of the U.S. population and quicker discharges from hospitals. But Medicare is reducing payment rates, making it harder [...]
