Rural Spotlight

June 9, 2025

Article: Workplace, Community Violence Costs Hospitals $18B annually: AHA

A report from the American Hospital Association (AHA) highlights hospital spending on workplace and community violence.

The report, “The Burden of Violence to U.S. Hospitals: A Comprehensive Assessment of Financial Costs and Other Impacts of Workplace and Community Violence,” was prepared for the AHA by Harborview Injury and prevention Research Center in Seattle, part of the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Three numbers that illustrate the burden of violence to hospitals:

• The AHA estimates the total annual financial cost of violence to hospitals in 2023 to be $18.27 billion.
• The $18.27 billion estimate i8ncludes pre-event costs ($3.62 billion) and included costs for:
  • training security and staffing,
  • policy and procedure development,
  • outreach to build public trust,
  • facility modifications to prevent and mitigate harm, and
  • technology investments to monitor events.
• The $18.27 billion estimate also includes post-event costs ($14.65 billion) and included costs for:
  • healthcare,
  • staffing,
  • replacement and repair of infrastructure and equipment,
  • legal costs, and
  • community and public relations costs.
    • The AHA said post-event healthcare expenses to treat violent injuries was the largest contributor to the total annual financial cost of violence to hospitals.

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June 9, 2025

Article: Redefining Utilization Management: The Role of AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming industries, and healthcare is no exception. In a high-level exploration during the recent webinar “Redefining Utilization Management: The Role of AI, MCG’s Senior Clinical Integration Analyst, Miriam Moerbe, MS, BSN, RN, provided a basic exploration on what AI is, how it relates to healthcare and utilization management (UM), and key considerations when deciding if it’s right for a hospital, health plan, or government organization.

Three types of AI to consider:

• Machine Learning
  • This is a type of AI that uses algorithms, rules, and data analysis to make data-driven recommendations.
• Natural Language Processing (NLP)
  • This is a computer’s ability to understand text and spoken words in the same way human beings can by extracting symptoms, diagnoses, and treatments from narrative text.
  • In broader terms, it is machine learning to understand text and the spoken word.
• Large Language Models (LLMs)
  • LLMs are fed enormous amounts of data to learn intricate patterns and nuances.
  • By using what it has learned from data, it can predict words and sentences based on probability.

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June 9, 2025

Article: The Health System Workforce of the Future: 5 Bold Predictions

Hospitals and health systems are undergoing a seismic shift in how they structure, support and scale their workforces.

Health leaders are turning to artificial intelligence and digital innovation to not only fill gaps but fundamentally reshape how care is delivered. Today’s healthcare workforce is leaner, more agile, and increasingly strategic.

As care continues its migration beyond hospital walls, the imperative is clear:

• Success hinges on a workforce that is technologically fluent and empowered to lead transformation across clinical, operational and consumer touchpoints.

Five predictions on the healthcare workforce:

• The Workforce will Shrink and Shift
• • Hospitals are incorporating AI into daily clinical and administrative operations to become more efficient and achieve better outcomes.
    • The workforce is also adapting to more care being delivered outside the hospital walls.
• AI Literacy will be Table Stakes
  • AI significantly transformed healthcare operations and workflows over the last few years and continues to advance at a rapid pace.
    • The adage “AI won’t replace physicians, but physicians with AI will replace those without” can be applied to any role within the organization.
• Consumerism will be King
  • Healthcare has been slower than other industries to embrace consumer-driven models, but hospitals are now rapidly evolving to compete for patients with easy and more convenient access to care.
    • Health systems are opening new satellite locations across communities and staying open on evenings and weekends to accommodate patients’ schedules.
    • They’re offering more virtual care options, embracing virtual nursing and allowing for self-scheduling.
• Higher Engagement and Satisfaction
  • AI, Automation, ambient listening and more have reduced or eliminated low-value administrative tasks for clinical and operational teams.
    • They’re able to focus on the high-value accountabilities and human-to-human interactions vital to healthcare delivery which require a high level of thinking and input.
• Silos will Become Nearly Obsolete
  • C-suite leaders have talked for years about breaking down siloes and integrating multidisciplinary teams for better outcomes. Now the technology actually exists to actually make that happen, and organizational structure has to keep up.

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