/ en Tue, 01 Jul 2025 00:58:37 -0500 Tue, 10 Jun 25 06:15:00 -0500 /aha-center-health-innovation-market-scan/2025-06-10-5-ways-equip-your-chro-success <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-8"><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/5-Ways-to-Equip-Your-CHRO-for-Success.png" data-entity-uuid="f301f353-d34d-4779-be2b-af7133a66372" data-entity-type="file" alt="5 Ways to Equip Your CHRO for Success. The hand of a Chief Human Resources Office clicks on a the keyboard of a laptop that show icons of the five new crucial functions of HR leaders: HR Functional Expert; Talent Strategist; Culture Ambassador; Change Agent; and Strategic Connector." width="1200" height="751"><p>Like so many leadership positions in health care, the roles of a chief human resources officer (CHRO) and chief people officer are becoming increasingly challenging and complex.</p><p>This has led many hospitals and health systems to expand the scope of human resources (HR) to encompass a broader range of roles, functions, operations and technologies, notes a recent <a href="https://wittkieffer.com/insights/the-multifaceted-role-of-chros-in-us-healthcare-delivery-how-the-evolving-role-of-chros-helps-drive-transformation-in-healthcare" target="_blank" title="WiffKieffer: The Multifaceted Role of CHROs in US Healthcare Delivery">WiffKieffer report</a>.</p><h2>5 Facets to the New CHRO Leadership Model</h2><p>The new CHRO model WittKieffer leaders propose focuses on five crucial functions for HR leaders:</p><h3>HR Functional Expert</h3><p>Functional excellence requires health care CHROs to be proactive in developing future-focused approaches to HR functions that are responsive to workforce shifts and keep pace with new human capital demands. It also includes championing tech-driven transformation in leveraging technology to streamline HR processes and enhance the employee experience, including using AI for talent acquisition, data analytics for strategic talent planning, virtual reality for training and development, and more.</p><h3>Talent Strategist</h3><p>CHROs need to advance and assume a lead role in redesigning health care work. This includes redefining job descriptions, reassessing workflows, cross-training team members and implementing new tools and systems to improve efficiency and quality of care, the authors explain.</p><h3>Culture Ambassador</h3><p>The CEO remains responsible for setting the desired organizational culture, but the CHRO should partner in bringing to life a culture that is engaging, promotes innovation and delivers top clinical and business performance. The CHRO communicates the organization’s vision and values to health care professionals and works with business partners, front-line managers and clinical leaders to cascade and embed culture consistently throughout the health system or hospital.</p><h3>Change Agent</h3><p>Modern CHROs lead and champion organizational transformation initiatives while strategically addressing barriers to adoption and cultivating an environment of readiness for changes among all teammates. They need experience in developing effective change management plans, communicating them clearly and inspiring team members to adopt and utilize changes.</p><h3>Strategic Connector</h3><p>With the rise of partnerships and external collaborations, CHROs must build purpose-driven connections with institutions inside and outside health care to learn best practices for more effective and efficient HR functions. This includes collaborating with educational institutions to establish talent pipelines, partnering with technology companies for digital solutions and working with other providers for shared services.</p><h2>How to Equip CHROs for Success</h2><p>Here are some recommendations from WittKieffer to help CHROs navigate health care’s evolving landscape, seize opportunities and address leadership challenges effectively.</p><h3>HR Functional Expert</h3><ul><li><strong>Stay ahead of the curve.</strong> Proactively develop future-focused approaches to HR functions that are responsive to shifts and keep pace with new human capital demands. Keep up to date on the latest innovations and trends in HR functions inside and outside health care.</li><li><strong>Champion tech-driven information.</strong> Embrace digital transformation and artificial intelligence integration. Stay current on the latest technological advancements and proactively integrate them into HR strategies to support more cost-effective and innovative HR operations.</li></ul><h3>Talent Strategist</h3><ul><li><strong>Develop innovative talent acquisition strategies.</strong> Likewise, focus on retention programs and learning and development opportunities to attract and retain top talent. Position your organization as a talent magnet.</li><li><strong>Prioritize succession planning.</strong> Concentrate on long-term leadership continuity and sustained organizational success. Identify strategically vital roles — existing and emerging — and identify high-potential talent for those roles. Provide them with the needed training and development opportunities to prepare them for future leadership roles.</li><li><strong>Embrace change.</strong> Proactively redesign roles and work to ensure that your organization is well-positioned to meet future challenges. Stay ahead of the curve and enhance your organization’s brand as a field leader to attract top talent.</li></ul><h3>Culture Ambassador</h3><ul><li><strong>Align with organizational goals.</strong> Partner with the CEO to set the desired organizational culture, ensuring that it aligns with business and talent objectives and supports the business strategy.</li><li><strong>Prioritize safety.</strong> Make patient and workforce safety a core cultural value. Prioritize physical and psychological safety by implementing prevention and control standards, policies and strategies to mitigate safety hazards.</li><li><strong>Lead with compassion.</strong> Foster a culture where all teammates feel recognized, appreciated and involved.</li></ul><h3>Change Agent</h3><ul><li><strong>Involve teammates in the change process.</strong> Engage them by soliciting their input and feedback to increase buy-in and reduce resistance to change. Consider nominating champions who can act as change accelerators and message multipliers.</li><li><strong>Address change fatigue.</strong> Prioritize the most critical changes and communicate clearly the reasons for each change. Proactively identify legacy processes or procedures that may hinder change or create confusion around the desired behaviors and outcomes of change initiatives and focus on them. Show empathy and provide support, resources and opportunities for rest and recovery.</li></ul><h3>Strategic Connector</h3><ul><li><strong>Build a compelling business case.</strong> To secure C-suite buy-in and resources for HR initiatives, prepare a business case that demonstrates the value of these initiatives. Quantify their impact on clinical and operations performance, demonstrate their return on investment, provide a framework for measuring the success of HR initiatives and make adjustments as needed.</li><li><strong>Build a network of peers.</strong> To stay current on best practices, emerging trends in HR and key leadership topics, build a network of peers or a community of practice with other HR leaders in health care and other fields, as well as experts in talent management, organizational development and other relevant fields.</li></ul></div><div class="col-md-4"><p><a href="/center" title="Visit the AHA Center for Health Innovation landing page."><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/logo-aha-innovation-center-color-sm.jpg" data-entity-uuid="7ade6b12-de98-4d0b-965f-a7c99d9463c5" alt="AHA Center for Health Innovation logo" width="721" height="130" data-entity- type="file" class="align-center"></a></p><p><a href="/center/form/innovation-subscription"><img src="/sites/default/files/2019-04/Market_Scan_Call_Out_360x300.png" data-entity-uuid data-entity-type alt width="360" height="300"></a></p></div></div></div>.field_featured_image { position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } .featured-image{ position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } h2 { color: #9d2235; } Tue, 10 Jun 2025 06:15:00 -0500 Human Resources (HR) /education-events/student-debt-and-health-care-worker-turnover <p><strong>Student Debt and Health Care Worker Turnover   </strong><br /> <em>What Hospital HR Leaders Need to Know   </em></p> <p><strong>Thursday, March 23, 2023 </strong><br /> <em>1 - 2 p.m. Eastern; noon - 1 p.m. Central; 10 - 11 a.m. Pacific</em>   </p> <div class="webreplay"> .webreplay{ border: solid 2px #777; padding: 15px 5px; margin: 0 0 10px 15px; } @media (min-width:360px){ .webreplay{ min-width: 290px; float: right; } } <h2><small>On-demand Webinar</small></h2> MktoForms2.loadForm("//sponsors.aha.org", "710-ZLL-651", 3008); </div> <p><br /> All around the country, hospitals are reeling from the impacts of the Great Resignation — and the cycle of record-breaking burnout and turnover isn’t slowing down any time soon.   </p> <p>As hospital HR leaders search for talent retention strategies for 2023 and beyond, student loan benefits are emerging as a winning strategy. Why? A survey from American Student Assistance found that three in four professionals say student loan tools would increase their commitment to their employer. And because most health care workers carry high amounts of student debt and face significant negative impacts (student debt is linked to higher rates of depression among physicians, and half of nurses say their college loans are their top financial concern), hospital employees are especially in need of support.  </p> <p><strong>In this session, we’ll discuss: </strong> </p> <ul> <li>The forces driving health care workers’ high demand for student loan benefits.   </li> <li>How current legislative events, including changes to Public Service Loan Forgiveness, are creating greater urgency to offer this benefit.  </li> <li>Key considerations for evaluating a student loan benefit program.  </li> <li>Strategies for tailoring a student loan benefit program to meet specific objectives and constraints. </li> </ul> <p><br /> <strong>Speakers: </strong></p> <p><br /> Michaela Rubin <br /> <em>Head of Customer Success </em><br /> <strong>Candidly </strong><br />  <br /> James Sheridan <br /> <em>Head of Coaching </em><br /> <strong>Candidly</strong> <br />  <br /> Meera Oliva <br /> <em>Chief Marketing Officer </em><br /> <strong>Candidly </strong></p> Mon, 30 Jan 2023 08:42:15 -0600 Human Resources (HR) /news/headline/2022-05-23-aha-files-amicus-chamber-and-aamc-hospital-retirement-plan-case <p>AHA Friday joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Association of American Medical Colleges in a <a href="/amicus-brief/2022-05-20-amicus-brief-aha-us-chamber-commerce-and-amc-re-hospital-retirement-plan">friend-of-the-court brief</a> asking the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center violated its fiduciary duties by selecting a retirement plan with excessive fees or poorly performing investments. This is one of over 100 similar suits since 2019. In recent months, such suits have been filed against several hospitals and health systems, including Boston Children’s Hospital, Mass General Brigham, Rush University Medical Center, Yale New Haven Hospital, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Munson Healthcare, and Henry Ford Health System. </p> <p>“Using the benefit of hindsight, these cookie-cutter lawsuits challenge the decisions that retirement plan fiduciaries made about the investment options available to plan participants or the arrangements the fiduciaries negotiated with the plan’s service provider. The complaints typically point to alternative investment or service options (among tens of thousands of investment options offered in the investment marketplace and the dozens of service providers with a wide variety of service offerings and price points) and allege that plan fiduciaries must have had a flawed decisionmaking process, and therefore violated ERISA’s fiduciary duties, because they did not choose one of those alternatives.”  <br />  <br /> The amicus brief argues that these arguments fail to appreciate that hospitals and health systems have “broad employee populations that encompass varying income levels and degrees of financial flexibility.</p> <p>"It adds, “If these types of conclusory and speculative complaints are sustained, hospital employees will be the ones who suffer.…[T]hese suits exert pressure on hospital fiduciaries and plan sponsors to limit investments to a narrow range of options at the expense of providing a diversity of choices with a range of fees, fee structures, risk levels, and potential performance upsides, as ERISA expressly encourages, and as is particularly important for employers with a diverse employee population.” </p> Mon, 23 May 2022 14:30:03 -0500 Human Resources (HR) /news/headline/2022-05-13-aha-blog-article-fails-recognize-role-rising-costs-insurers-play-health <p>A recent Wall Street Journal article claiming some hospitals are asking health plans to pay more for care to offset mounting labor costs ignores the dramatic rise in inflation and hospital costs for labor, drugs, supplies and equipment, and fails to examine the role commercial health insurers and Medicare and Medicaid underpayments play in health care spending, writes AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack. <a href="/news/blog/2022-05-13-recent-article-hospital-prices-omits-many-key-points">READ MORE</a></p> Fri, 13 May 2022 16:09:20 -0500 Human Resources (HR) /news/headline/2022-05-09-hospitals-and-health-systems-add-4500-jobs-april <p>Hospitals and health systems added 4,500 jobs in April, while U.S. jobs overall increased by 428,000, according to <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t17.htm">data</a> released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Hospital employment remains over 90,000 below its March 2020 peak, but has grown in 16 of the past 25 months for a slow but steady job recovery. Total health care jobs grew by 34,300 in April to a seasonally adjusted 16.2 million, with physicians’ offices and home health care services leading job growth. Employment at nursing homes and residential care facilities increased by about 1,900.</p> Mon, 09 May 2022 15:33:04 -0500 Human Resources (HR) /news/headline/2022-04-28-aha-files-amicus-chamber-and-aamc-retirement-plan-case <p>AHA yesterday joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Association of American Medical Colleges in a <a href="/amicus-brief/2022-04-29-amicus-brief-aha-others-yale-new-haven-erisa-retirement-plan-management)">friend-of-the-court brief</a> asking the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that Yale New Haven Hospital violated its fiduciary duties by selecting a retirement plan with excessive fees or poorly performing investments. This is one of over 100 similar suits since 2019. In recent months, such suits have been filed against several hospitals and health systems, including Boston Children’s Hospital, Mass General Brigham, Rush University Medical Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Munson Healthcare, and Henry Ford Health System.</p> <p>“Using the benefit of hindsight, these cookie-cutter lawsuits challenge the decisions that retirement plan fiduciaries made about the investment options available to plan participants or the arrangements the fiduciaries negotiated with the plan’s service provider,” the brief states. “The complaints typically point to alternative investment or service options (among tens of thousands of investment options offered in the investment marketplace and the dozens of service providers with a wide variety of service offerings and price points) and allege that plan fiduciaries must have had a flawed decisionmaking process, and therefore violated ERISA’s fiduciary duties, because they did not choose one of those alternatives.”</p> <p>The amicus brief argues that these arguments fail to appreciate that hospitals and health systems have “broad employee populations that encompass varying income levels and degrees of financial flexibility.” It adds, “If these types of conclusory and speculative complaints are sustained, hospital employees will be the ones who suffer.…[T]hese suits exert pressure on hospital fiduciaries and plan sponsors to limit investments to a narrow range of options at the expense of providing a diversity of choices with a range of fees, fee structures, risk levels, and potential performance upsides, as ERISA expressly encourages, and as is particularly important for employers with a diverse employee population.” </p> Fri, 29 Apr 2022 15:29:00 -0500 Human Resources (HR) /news/headline/2022-04-01-hospitals-and-health-systems-add-5100-jobs-march <p>Hospitals and health systems added 5,100 jobs in March, while U.S. jobs overall increased by 431,000, according to <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t17.htm">data</a> released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Hospital employment remains almost 100,000 below its March 2020 peak, but has grown in 15 of the past 22 months for a slow but steady job recovery. Total health care jobs grew by 8,300 in March to a seasonally adjusted 16.2 million, with home health care services and hospitals leading job growth. Employment at nursing homes and residential care facilities declined by about 4,000.</p> Fri, 01 Apr 2022 17:28:42 -0500 Human Resources (HR) /organization-policy-transforming <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-8"> <h2>Introduction</h2> <p>We want to welcome you as you take on another part of the Health Equity Transformation journey. Now that you have received your HETA profile, the fun work of organizational change begins. We have heard from many hospitals and health systems that the greatest challenge is moving forward beyond the proclamation that equity is essential to patient safety and equitable hospital organizations. We have developed this action planner tool to support you in moving across the transformation continuum.</p> <p>Once you have studied and discussed your profile, you will find the links to the appropriate levers that correspond with advancing to your next position on the continuum. As part of this process, you are invited to participate in a community of learners on the equity journey in hospitals and health care systems. Sharing your innovative policies and practices, learnings, questions and accomplishments are some of the features of the Equity Roadmap Journey Community.</p> <p>As your hospital travels across the continuum we have outlined primary deliverables of each position on the continuum below:</p> <p><img alt="Tranformation Continuum. Primary Deliverables: Exploring—Strategic Planning: Develop strategic plans. Committing—Implementation Planning: Develop implementation plan of strategy. Immersing—Leadership Accountability: CEO and management teams integrate learning DEI framework as Standard Operating Procedures. Affirming—Institutionalization: Policies and practices are assessed and monitored for sustaining DEI progress toward goals. 5. Transforming—Investing in the Community Ecosystem: Collaborate with a wide range of representative stakeholders to promote DEI in the communities hospital serves." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9e838e87-ac4c-4fd3-824a-36613b15c142" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/TAP-Transformation-Continuum_0.png" width="2875" height="824"></p> <p>Action Planning is a critical step in collectively advancing equity and dismantling structural barriers (e.g., racism, sexism, ageism, etc.) in hospitals and health care systems. This process is designed to support hospitals at every stage of the journey. Some hospitals are just beginning, developing a strategic plan and looking for data to collect, while others have institutionalized equity through policy and practice. Some are collaborating with a wide range of community stakeholders to advance health equity in their ecosystem. Regardless of your starting point, AHA invites you to use the Action Planners to mobilize your leadership, governing body, staff and community toward institutional change. Discover opportunities to change policy and practices that will institutionalize equity in your organization.</p> </div> <div class="col-md-4"> <p><a href="/system/files/media/file/2022/01/equity-roadmap-tap-policies-transforming.pdf" target="_blank" title="Click here to download the complete Equitable and Inclusive Organizational Policies: Transforming Transformation Action Planner PDF."><img alt="Equitable and Inclusive Organizational Policies Transforming Transformation Action Planner page 1." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="fc370e0e-7a6d-444a-b69d-b04190307f64" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Page-1-equity-roadmap-tap-policies-transforming.png" width="3971" height="3069"></a></p> </div> </div> </div> Wed, 19 Jan 2022 07:48:55 -0600 Human Resources (HR) /organization-policy-affirming <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-8"> <h2>Introduction</h2> <p>We want to welcome you as you take on another part of the Health Equity Transformation journey. Now that you have received your HETA profile, the fun work of organizational change begins. We have heard from many hospitals and health systems that the greatest challenge is moving forward beyond the proclamation that equity is essential to patient safety and equitable hospital organizations. We have developed this action planner tool to support you in moving across the transformation continuum.</p> <p>Once you have studied and discussed your profile, you will find the links to the appropriate levers that correspond with advancing to your next position on the continuum. As part of this process, you are invited to participate in a community of learners on the equity journey in hospitals and health care systems. Sharing your innovative policies and practices, learnings, questions and accomplishments are some of the features of the Equity Roadmap Journey Community.</p> <p>As your hospital travels across the continuum we have outlined primary deliverables of each position on the continuum below:</p> <p><img alt="Tranformation Continuum. Primary Deliverables: Exploring—Strategic Planning: Develop strategic plans. Committing—Implementation Planning: Develop implementation plan of strategy. Immersing—Leadership Accountability: CEO and management teams integrate learning DEI framework as Standard Operating Procedures. Affirming—Institutionalization: Policies and practices are assessed and monitored for sustaining DEI progress toward goals. 5. Transforming—Investing in the Community Ecosystem: Collaborate with a wide range of representative stakeholders to promote DEI in the communities hospital serves." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9e838e87-ac4c-4fd3-824a-36613b15c142" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/TAP-Transformation-Continuum_0.png" width="2875" height="824"></p> <p>Action Planning is a critical step in collectively advancing equity and dismantling structural barriers (e.g., racism, sexism, ageism, etc.) in hospitals and health care systems. This process is designed to support hospitals at every stage of the journey. Some hospitals are just beginning, developing a strategic plan and looking for data to collect, while others have institutionalized equity through policy and practice. Some are collaborating with a wide range of community stakeholders to advance health equity in their ecosystem. Regardless of your starting point, AHA invites you to use the Action Planners to mobilize your leadership, governing body, staff and community toward institutional change. Discover opportunities to change policy and practices that will institutionalize equity in your organization.</p> </div> <div class="col-md-4"> <p><a href="/system/files/media/file/2022/01/equity-roadmap-tap-policies-affirming.pdf" target="_blank" title="Click here to download the complete Equitable and Inclusive Organizational Policies: Affirming Transformation Action Planner PDF."><img alt="Equitable and Inclusive Organizational Policies Affirming Transformation Action Planner page 1." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="1985a2d2-26b2-4ca7-b266-4e3dc4251580" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Page-1-equity-roadmap-tap-policies-affirming.png" width="4180" height="3230"></a></p> </div> </div> </div> Wed, 19 Jan 2022 07:38:13 -0600 Human Resources (HR) /organization-policy-immersing <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-8"> <h2>Introduction</h2> <p>We want to welcome you as you take on another part of the Health Equity Transformation journey. Now that you have received your HETA profile, the fun work of organizational change begins. We have heard from many hospitals and health systems that the greatest challenge is moving forward beyond the proclamation that equity is essential to patient safety and equitable hospital organizations. We have developed this action planner tool to support you in moving across the transformation continuum.</p> <p>Once you have studied and discussed your profile, you will find the links to the appropriate levers that correspond with advancing to your next position on the continuum. As part of this process, you are invited to participate in a community of learners on the equity journey in hospitals and health care systems. Sharing your innovative policies and practices, learnings, questions and accomplishments are some of the features of the Equity Roadmap Journey Community.</p> <p>As your hospital travels across the continuum we have outlined primary deliverables of each position on the continuum below:</p> <p><img alt="Tranformation Continuum. Primary Deliverables: Exploring—Strategic Planning: Develop strategic plans. Committing—Implementation Planning: Develop implementation plan of strategy. Immersing—Leadership Accountability: CEO and management teams integrate learning DEI framework as Standard Operating Procedures. Affirming—Institutionalization: Policies and practices are assessed and monitored for sustaining DEI progress toward goals. 5. Transforming—Investing in the Community Ecosystem: Collaborate with a wide range of representative stakeholders to promote DEI in the communities hospital serves." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9e838e87-ac4c-4fd3-824a-36613b15c142" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/TAP-Transformation-Continuum_0.png" width="2875" height="824"></p> <p>Action Planning is a critical step in collectively advancing equity and dismantling structural barriers (e.g., racism, sexism, ageism, etc.) in hospitals and health care systems. This process is designed to support hospitals at every stage of the journey. Some hospitals are just beginning, developing a strategic plan and looking for data to collect, while others have institutionalized equity through policy and practice. Some are collaborating with a wide range of community stakeholders to advance health equity in their ecosystem. Regardless of your starting point, AHA invites you to use the Action Planners to mobilize your leadership, governing body, staff and community toward institutional change. Discover opportunities to change policy and practices that will institutionalize equity in your organization.</p> </div> <div class="col-md-4"> <p><a href="/system/files/media/file/2022/01/equity-roadmap-tap-policies-immersing.pdf" target="_blank" title="Click here to download the complete Equitable and Inclusive Organizational Policies: Immersing Transformation Action Planner PDF."><img alt="Equitable and Inclusive Organizational Policies Immersing Transformation Action Planner page 1." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b8345523-df60-406e-adec-6803de9bf4a5" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Page-1-equity-roadmap-tap-policies-immersing.png" width="3300" height="2550"></a></p> </div> </div> </div> Wed, 19 Jan 2022 07:27:02 -0600 Human Resources (HR)