The holiday season will see many offices short of workers,
but not all workers will be missing work because of the holidays. Some will be
home sick with the flu, while others drag themselves into work despite illness. For most workers, the flu is an unpleasant experience at
best, but for some it can be deadly.
Employers also suffer as sick workers mean lost productivity
and increased lost worktime.
The 2014-2015 flu season has begun and WXIA-TV
is reporting that Georgia is facing one of the
worst flu outbreaks in years. According to the federal Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, Georgia is one of about a dozen states with widespread
activity.
While CDC continues to
encourage people to get flu shots, they acknowledge that this year’s flu vaccine
is less effective against the flu strain being seen in the state.
For those not feeling well,
a visit to one of the many walk-in clinics, their doctor’s office, or a trip to
the emergency room of a nearby hospital may be in order. All of which are already
seeing increased visits.
In light of the possibility
of a particularly bad outbreak this year, does Georgia have sufficient
healthcare personnel to cope?
The answer is yes, but just
barely and at a greater cost than elsewhere.
According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics,
approximately 333,000 people were employed in healthcare establishments in
Georgia in November 2014. This represents approximately 7.9 percent of the
state’s workforce.
Nationally, healthcare employs approximately 8.2 percent of
the workforce.
Proportionately, Georgia is falls slightly below the
national average when comes to healthcare staffing, which makes it slightly less
able to cope if faced with increased demand from more, and more sickly
patients.
Healthcare Occupations
Looking at specific health-related jobs, healthcare staffing
in Georgia is at the national average in doctors, but below the average in
those assisting doctors.
In 2013, Georgia had approximately 16,000 physicians working
in the state who are likely to see flu patients. These include family
physicians, internists, pediatricians, and other medical doctors who might
directly treat patients but excludes surgeons and others who tend not to deal
with viruses.
Along with these doctors, the state has approximately 2,480
physician assistants, 66,000 registered nurses, and 24,350 licensed practical
nurses. In a flu epidemic, these are the frontline employees for a state with a
population of almost 10 million people.
That averages to about 16 physicians, 2 physician
assistants, and 90 RNs and LPNs for every 10,000 residents.
Ratios for the U.S. are similar with 16 physicians, 3
physician assistants, and 100 RNs and LPNs for every 10,000 residents.
Overall, staffing levels are adequate as long as the flu
remains below epidemic proportions.
Average annual wages,
selected healthcare occupations, Georgia and United States, May 2013
Georgia
|
United States
|
|
Family and General Practitioners
|
$ 201,490
|
$ 183,940
|
Physician Assistants
|
93,660
|
94,350
|
Registered Nurses
|
61,630
|
68,910
|
Licensed Practical Nurses
|
37,330
|
42,910
|
Hospitals retain a
disproportionate role as healthcare providers
Within the healthcare industry, there has been a consistent
drive towards non-hospital services, mostly as a way of reducing costs, as
hospital care is generally more expensive than outpatient centers.
While Georgia has seen this movement away from hospitals, it has been slow to make the transition. As a result, healthcare workers in Georgia are distributed differently than the nation, with a greater proportion of healthcare in the state being provided by hospitals.
Ambulatory Healthcare Employment in Georgia, 2000-2014
Hospital Employment in Georgia, 2000-2014
About 54 percent of healthcare workers in the state are
employed in so-called ambulatory care businesses (physician offices, outpatient
care centers, home healthcare, and related businesses). The other 46 percent
are employed in hospitals in the state.
In comparison, 58 percent of healthcare workers are employed
nationwide in ambulatory centers, with the remaining 42 percent employed in
hospitals.
This in a state where about 16 percent of the population
lacks health
insurance, where wages tend to be below the national average, and where the
poverty rate is above 15 percent.
Combined with a healthcare structure that favors a more
expensive option, this results in workers who avoid preventative care, delay seeking
medical attention when they come down with the flu, becoming sicker as a result
of the delayed attention, and are more prone to spreading the disease at work rather than staying at home to recover.
Conclusion
The state’s healthcare system staffing is near the national
average, although its cost structure tends to favor more expensive treatment in
hospitals rather than in outpatient settings and treatment by more expensive
doctors rather than lower-cost physician assistants and nurses.
This in a state where the poverty rate is high, wages are
relatively low, and many lack insurance.
Higher costs for those seeking healthcare contribute to
spreading the flu and making potentially more deadly for workers, while causing
pain for employers who have to deal with workers or are either absent from
work, or come to work sick and spread the flu to their co-workers.
Eventually, the flu season will pass, but Georgia’s
healthcare system will remain an industry struggling to serve its lower-wage,
less-insured population.
Data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CDC, and U.S. Census Bureau. Photo courtesy of EIU.edu.