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Hospital leaders have complained about the high costs charged by nurse staffing agencies, and now members of Congress are asking the White House to investigate the possibility of price gouging.

U.S. Reps. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Morgan Griffith, R-Va., wrote the 

, which was signed by nearly 200 lawmakers representing the Democratic and Republican parties. They sent the letter to Jeffrey Zients, coordinator of the White House COVID-19 Response Team.

“We are writing because of our concerns that certain nurse-staffing agencies are taking advantage of these difficult circumstances to increase their profits at the expense of patients and the hospitals that treat them,” the Jan. 24 letter stated.

“We urge you to enlist one or more of the federal agencies with competition and consumer protection authority to investigate this conduct to determine if it is the product of anticompetitive activity and/or violates consumer protection laws.”

With hospitals facing waves of COVID-19 patients over the past two years, many systems have turned to nurse staffing agencies. Some hospitals have become especially reliant on staffing agencies as nurses have resigned during the pandemic.

The American Hospital Association said it has urged the Federal Trade Commission to investigate if price gouging is happening. On Thursday, the AHA joined with the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living to urge the White House to look into the pricing practices of staffing agencies.

"Our organizations have no choice but to pay these exorbitant rates," the groups said in a 

, adding the costs are not sustainable for hospitals and nursing homes. 

Melinda Hatton, the AHA’s general counsel, said in a media call Tuesday the group first raised the issue with the FTC last year, since the commission has anti-trust authority and consumer protection authority.

The hospital association has heard reports that nurse staffing agencies are charging hospitals two or three times more than they did before the COVID-19 pandemic, Hatton said in the media call.

“It’s fair to investigate whether these companies are price gouging,” Hatton said.

“I think you can argue this is an even more important resource than some areas they investigated,” she added. The AHA did not mention any staffing agencies by name.

In the letter, lawmakers echoed some of the concerns of the hospital association.

“We have received reports that the nurse staffing agencies are vastly inflating price, by two, three or more times pre-pandemic rates, and then taking 40% or more of the amount being charged to the hospitals for themselves in profits,” the letter stated. 

"We have heard the amounts charged to hospitals rose precipitously as the newest wave of the COVID-19 crisis swept the nation and the agencies seemingly seized the opportunity to increase their bottom line.”

Some of the lawmakers who signed the letter include U.S. Reps. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., Charlie Crist, D-Fla., Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., the chairwoman of the House Republican conference. In addition, six lawmakers who are also doctors signed the letter.

In the letter, lawmakers accused nurse staffing agencies of also charging exorbitant prices in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Healthcare organizations have said they are dealing with serious labor shortages on top of the surge of COVID-19 patients. Some leaders have said they’ve lost nurses due to early retirements or family reasons. But some hospital leaders have said they are losing nurses for more lucrative pay at staffing agencies.

 during the pandemic and some have faulted healthcare organizations for not doing enough to support them. In addition, 

 say they plan to leave their jobs in the next two years due to the stress they've experienced in the pandemic, according to a study published in 

 more in aid to deal with the costs of treating COVID-19 patients.

In November, U.S. Sens. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Bill Cassidy, R-La., sent a 

 to the White House asking for an investigation into the "extreme prices being reported for nurse staffing agencies from hospitals in our states."

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In a bipartisan effort, nearly 200 members of Congress have asked the Biden administration to look into the issue. Some say staffing agencies are charging far more than they did before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lawmakers ask White House to investigate price gouging by nurse staffing agencies 

The federal government’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers is in effect, and many workers have reached the deadline to get their first dose.

Workers in 25 states are required to have completed their first dose today. Those workers are expected to be fully vaccinated by the end of February.

upheld the federal government’s vaccine order

 earlier this month. Under the order, healthcare facilities receiving federal Medicare and Medicaid funds must have their healthcare workers vaccinated. There are limited religious and health exemptions. The high court rejected a separate order requiring large employers to have their workers vaccinated or submit to regular testing.

The federal government has now set deadlines for healthcare workers in every state. Some states have different deadlines for first and second doses. 

Texas, which had a legal challenge separate from the Supreme Court case, will have a bit more time to comply. But the Lone Star State is subject to the order, now that a legal challenge there has been resolved.

About 17 million healthcare workers are covered by the order, the White House has said. Healthcare workers do not have the option of COVID-19 testing to get around the mandate. Unless they are given a qualifying exemption, healthcare workers in facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid must get the COVID-19 vaccines or face losing their jobs.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid services set these deadlines for healthcare workers to get vaccinated.

Healthcare workers in these states must have completed their first dose today: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, Washington state, and Wisconsin.

Healthcare workers in Washington, D.C. and other U.S. territories are also required to have their first dose today.

Workers in those states and territories must be fully vaccinated by 

If they haven't already started, healthcare workers in 24 states will need to begin their vaccination cycles soon.

Workers in these 24 states must have at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose by 

: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.

Healthcare providers in these states must be fully vaccinated by 

Healthcare workers in Texas must have at least received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose by 

CMS says. They must be fully vaccinated by 

Nursing homes and home health agencies that don’t comply could face fines, the denial of payment for new admissions, and, as a last result, have their participation in Medicare and Medicaid terminated.

Hospitals and other acute care providers only have one enforcement remedy: the loss of Medicare and Medicaid funds.

CMS has said it plans to focus on working with healthcare providers rather than punishing them. The agency has said it will work with healthcare providers who are making good faith efforts to meet the deadlines.

Groups representing hospitals and nursing homes have urged the government to work with healthcare providers as they strive to get staff vaccinated. Some nursing home leaders in particular have said they are already struggling with a labor shortage and the vaccine mandate could make it harder to keep workers.

The Biden administration has said the vaccine mandate for healthcare workers is a necessary step to protect patients and reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

The Omicron variant has sent COVID-19 patients to hospitals in record numbers, reaching new highs in the pandemic.

Nationwide, more than 140,000 people are being treated for COVID-19 in hospitals, but hospitalizations are starting to drop, with Northeast states seeing substantial declines. However, hospitalizations are rising in the South and West.

Millions of healthcare workers must get both doses of the vaccine by the spring. The federal government now has a timetable for every state.

In 25 states, today is deadline for healthcare workers to get first COVID-19 shot

Most healthcare leaders have cited burnout among staff during the COVID-19 pandemic as one of their key concerns, but a recent survey suggests an area that merits more attention: safety.

For many healthcare workers, their stress relates to the safety of their work environment, according to a 

 by Stericycle, an Illinois-based company offering solutions for handling waste and information destruction.

The survey, like other studies, found most workers are experiencing stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. The poll found 72% are feeling stress and burnout during the pandemic, and 71% said the pandemic has affected their sense of safety at work.

Most said safety issues, including the improper disposal of medical waste, affects the health of patients and raises risks to healthcare providers.

Jim Anderson, Stericycle’s vice president of product management and innovation, said his biggest takeaway from the survey “is how much safety is impacting the current healthcare provider experience.”

“Burnout is pervasive, and while things like understaffing and incredible patient volumes are certainly getting the most attention as reasons for that burnout, our survey found an underlying issue: Healthcare providers do not feel their work environments are safe enough to do their jobs efficiently and effectively,” Anderson told 

“This directly impacts their ability to provide quality patient care,” he said. “These findings reinforce the importance of healthcare organizations prioritizing strategies to improve the health and safety of the care environments they’re providing.”

The survey found consistent concerns about handling medical waste or biohazardous waste, such as waste contaminated by blood, bodily fluids or other infectious materials, along with needles or bandages.

Stericycle surveyed 500 healthcare professionals, including 350 clinicians and 150 administrators. The survey revealed some differences of opinion between healthcare providers and administrators.

The poll found 75% of respondents said their organizations were doing enough to reduce environmental impacts through managing biohazardous waste appropriately, but only 54% of providers said they feel that way. Similarly, 78% of administrators said they had innovative practices to handle biohazardous waste, a sentiment shared by only 56% of providers.

Both clinicians and administrators overwhelmingly said improper biohazardous waste disposal takes a toll on providers. Over 70% of both clinicians and administrators said improper biohazardous waste disposal affects patient safety and puts the physical safety of providers at risk.

A majority of providers and administrators (56% and 57%, respectively) said their organizations should increase financial resources toward biohazarous waste disposal.

“Medical waste storage is not often top of mind -- and on one hand, that is the way we want it to be, because it's a sign we are doing something right,” Anderson said. 

“But on the other, this survey shows that it’s incredibly impactful for patients and

providers, so it should be an important concern in healthcare settings," he said. "If medical waste service is improperly managed, this represents a huge risk to patients, clinicians, the general public, and even to our waterways and our environment.”

More than 80% of clinicians and administrators said disposing of biohazardous waste improperly adversely affects the emotional well-being of providers. Nearly 70% of clinicians and administrators said improper biohazardous waste disposal contributes to provider fatigue and burnout.

Roughly three out of four respondents said the COVID-19 pandemic has made proper management of drugs more challenging. That sentiment was shared equally between providers and administrators.

A majority of respondents said improperly disposed of pharmaceutical waste, such as unused or expired medications, is one of the biggest contributors to the opioid epidemic.

“As the pandemic has overshadowed a lot of healthcare issues, the report was an important reminder that the opioid crisis is still raging,” Anderson said.

The report also highlighted an area Anderson described as one that is overlooked when it comes to medical waste: the home. With more healthcare being provided at home, proper disposal of medical waste is critical.

Roughly 1 in 4 providers (26%) who have provided care in the home said they don’t feel confident they know how to safely dispose of medical waste. The survey said 85% of providers said disposing medical waste at home properly is challenging and poses risk to their health.

More than 90% of clinicians and administrators said providers need more logistical support to provide the best possible care at home.

“Healthcare organizations should offer more provider training so they can educate their patients, as well as offer sharps mail-back programs to keep patients safe and reduce the risk of needlestick injuries,” Anderson said.

Clinicians and administrators say the pandemic is affecting their sense of safety, and dealing with medical waste adds to the stress, according to a report by Stericycle.


Health workers don’t feel work environment is safe enough, survey finds

Digital health startup companies pulled in record-shattering money from investors in 2021, and analysts expect the interest to continue.

In 2021, digital health startups received $57.2 billion worldwide, according to a report from 

, a New York firm that tracks private companies and how much money they raise. That’s a 79% increase from the previous year, when digital health startups received $32 billion.

The CB Insights “State of Digital Health” report offers perspective on the huge appetite of investors. The firm said the COVID-19 pandemic is driving the demand for more digital health solutions.

Here are some highlights from the report.

 The U.S. looms as the world leader in the digital health market. American companies pulled in a record $37.9 billion in 2021, a sum surpassing the entire global market in 2020. American companies received $10.8 billion in the fourth quarter of 2021. That’s more than Asia, the world’s second largest market, received in the entire year ($10.7 billion).

 Worldwide, there are 85 private startups valued at more than $1 billion, earning the “unicorn” designation. There were 57 unicorns in 2020, so that’s a 49% increase.

 Startups focusing on mental health received $5.5 billion in 2021, up from $2.3 billion the previous year, or a 139% increase. Investors generally have shown an appetite to put more money in behavioral health in general, and some of that is going to digital health companies.

 There were 574 mergers and acquisitions involving digital health startups worldwide in 2021, a 44% increase from 2020. CB Insights expects to see the trend continue as bigger companies enter the digital health market.

Best Buy’s $400 million purchase of Current Health

, which provides healthcare services in the home. Best Buy announced the deal in October 2021. Also, Walgreens Boots Alliance announced it was gaining majority ownership of VillageMD last October. Walgreens said it was investing 

. The drugstore chain previously owned 30% of the company.

The median size of digital health deals in 2021 reached $5 million, up from $4 million the previous year. The average size grew to $25 million, a 47% increase compared to 2020.

 The market for digital therapeutics, software-based programs to treat medical issues, rose to a record $3.4 billion, according to the report. Funding for digital therapeutics more than doubled, rising from $1.5 billion in 2020, a 127% increase.

Other analysts have projected more deals involving the healthcare industry in 2022. 

Earlier this week, KPMG released a report showing 

 and the life sciences, with 70% of those surveyed saying they plan to increase their merger activity in the year ahead. The KPMG report showed keen interest in technology, particularly telehealth.

While the merger of hospital systems dropped last year, analysts project 

more deals and acquisitions are coming in 2022

. They said some of the activity may involve hospitals acquiring providers of outpatient services, home healthcare or telehealth.

It represents a 79% increase over the previous year, CB Insights reports. The COVID-19 pandemic is fueling the appetite for digital health technologies.

Digital health startups received $57 billion in 2021

HCA Healthcare, Inc. has announced plans to expand in Texas, adding to the company’s large footprint in the Lone Star State.

The company said Wednesday it plans to build five new full-service hospitals in Texas. HCA Healthcare already operates 45 hospitals and 632 affiliated healthcare sites in Texas.

HCA outlined the plans to build new hospitals in the state’s major metropolitan areas, working with partners in some cases. 

HCA plans to build a hospital in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and a hospital in Houston.

HCA is planning to build two hospitals in the Austin area, in partnership with St. David’s Foundation and Georgetown Health Foundation. HCA also said it will build a hospital in the San Antonio area, in partnership with Methodist Healthcare Ministries. The company didn't include a timeline for construction or projected openings.

The company has placed its focus on some of America’s fastest-growing regions in recent months. Sam Hazen, CEO of HCA Healthcare, pointed to the growth in Texas in the announcement.

“Communities across Texas are undergoing a rapid increase in population, and the addition of these new hospitals will help our existing network meet the increasing need for healthcare services,” Hazen said in a news release. “We are thrilled to expand our presence in Texas, and we believe it will enhance our care and better serve our patients.”

. The company also just opened a new hospital in Davie, Fla. in November.

In September, HCA Healthcare agreed to buy Steward Health Care’s five hospitals in Utah. Those hospitals joined HCA Healthcare’s Mountain Division, which includes 11 hospitals in Utah, Idaho and Alaska. Utah was the fastest-growing state in the country, according to the 2020 Census.

Texas added 4 million residents in the 2020 Census, making it the third-fastest growing state.

HCA says it provides healthcare to more patients than any organization in Texas. The company said it has invested $6.6 billion in Texas over the past five years, including some expansion projects already underway.

While HCA has been expanding in some markets, the company has shown it is willing to pull out of markets where other competitors have an edge. Last year, HCA also sold four hospitals in Georgia to Piedmont Healthcare.

Rich Bayman, senior vice president and managing director of H2C Securities Inc., said in an interview with 

 earlier this month that HCA Healthcare focuses on areas where it can be a meaningful player.

“They’ve been probably the best of the investor-owned health systems in terms of managing their portfolio,” Bayman said.

“HCA is a very well-run organization and they’re focused on growth.”

HCA, based in Nashville, Tenn., operates 183 hospitals and about 2,000 ambulatory sites across the United States and the United Kingdom.

The company continues its strategy of expanding in fast-growing areas of the country.

HCA Healthcare plans to build 5 new hospitals in Texas

Women clinicians are seeing fewer patients and spending more time with them, potentially hurting their income.

A new report from athenahealth, the Massachusetts-based healthcare technology company, showed female clinicians see fewer patients than male doctors in a typical week. Female doctors also spend more time in documenting the records of each patient. 

Female clinicians scheduled an average of 60 encounters with patients per week, while male clinicians scheduled an average of 73 patient encounters each week. They both spent the same amount of cumulative time documenting patient records, so women are spending 20% longer on documentation per patient than male clinicians, the athenahealth report said.

Women clinicians are likely taking a hit on earnings and also can be at greater risk for burnout, said Jessica Sweeney-Platt, athenahealth's vice president of research and editorial strategy.

“If you are seeing fewer patients in this healthcare world we live in, you’re probably making less money,” she said in an interview.

Sweeney-Platt said it’s another argument for compensating clinicians based on the quality of their care rather than volume. Doctors are experiencing more stress and burnout in the pandemic, and moving to a value-based care model could help alleviate the pressure on doctors, particularly female clinicians.

“If we were rewarding healthcare providers more on quality and patient outcomes and less on the sheer volume of work, I think that would be part of the solution here,” she said.

In the study, athenahealth said it examined more than 8 million records compiled by more than 14,000 clinicians in a five-month period in 2021.

Some women clinicians in certain specialties are putting in much more time on documentation than men on each patient encounter.

 female clinicians’ documentation time is 62% higher than male counterparts.

 female clinicians’ documentation time is 40% higher

 female clinicians’ documentation time is 33% higher

The report also found that clinicians are spending a substantial amount of time after hours working on patient health records.

On average, clinicians spend 21.5% of their electronic health record time outside of patient appointment hours, the report found. Gastroenterologists and orthopedic surgeons spend the highest percentage of time outside of patient appointment hours (31.3% and 30.6%, respectively).

The study indicated women are spending more time in their “off-hours” working on patient records.

Doctors typically work on records in their off hours, sometimes dubbed “pajama time." But Sweeney-Platt said that term doesn’t do justice to the stress it puts on clinicians.

“Physicians don’t mind working long hours,” she said. “This is not about long hours. This is about the type of work being asked of them in their off hours.”

Doctors are willing to spend time reading a journal article to learn more about a patient’s condition. “That's why they got into medicine,” she said. But the extra hours on documenting records can be wearying.

Researchers have previously shown women physicians spend more time with their patients than men.

 in October 2020 found women primary care physicians spend, on average, an additional 2.4 minutes with their patients. The study showed women generated 11% less in annual revenue because they were offering more direct patient care.

 than male physicians over a 40-year career, according to a 

. Among surgical specialists, women typically earn $2.5 million less over their careers, that study found. Female primary care physicians earned about $900,000 less over their careers, the study found.

In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be having 

a disproportionate impact on women doctors

 in November. Women doctors were more likely to assume child care responsibilities, work from home or reduce their hours, the study found.

Healthcare leaders have said encouraging more women to pursue careers as doctors is critical to addressing the nation's physician shortage. Women account for 36% of the nation's doctors.

Sweeney-Platt said she hopes the data generates more conversation about changing business models that put less pressure on doctors seeing a high volume of patients.

“It does suggest to me that some of the fundamental things we could do as a healthcare system would be changes to the payment system,” she said. “It would benefit everyone but it would have a disproportionate benefit on female clinicians.”

Women are seeing fewer patients and putting in more hours on documenting health records, a report from athenahealth says. As a result, female clinicians could end up earning less.

Female doctors spend more time with patients, and it could cost them

Healthcare leaders across the United States have said there’s a nursing shortage, but a new report says it’s a global problem.

Up to 13 million nurses will be needed worldwide over the next 10 years, according to a new study released Tuesday. That’s roughly half the total of 28 million nurses working across the globe.

Howard Catton, CEO of the International Council of Nurses and co-author of the report, said there was already a shortage of 6 million nurses before the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the coronavirus has made matters worse.

More than two years into the pandemic, many nurses are making it clear they plan to leave the industry. Catton said the shortage of nurses looms as a “global crisis.”

“This is a global health crisis, and it requires a fully funded and actionable ten-year plan to support and strengthen nurses and the health and care workforce to deliver health for all,” Catton said in a statement.

The report was compiled by the International Centre for Nurse Migration in partnership with the International Council of Nurses and CGFNS International, a non-profit organization which evaluates the credentials of nurses and other healthcare professionals.

James Buchan, the lead author of the report, said governments must do more to address “the growing worldwide shortage of nurses.” Buchan is a professor at the University of Technology Sydney and the University of Edinburgh.

“COVID-19 has had a terrible impact on the nursing workforce in terms of the personal effect it has had on individual nurses, and the problems it has exposed within many healthcare systems,” Buchan said in a statement. “Pre-existing shortages exacerbated the impact of the pandemic and burned-out nurses are leaving because they cannot carry on any longer.”

Some countries are recruiting nurses internationally to address their own shortage. There’s growing concern that some lower-income countries could end up serving as “source countries” to more affluent nations.

Franklin A. Shaffer, president and CEO of CGFNS, warned of a “migration tsunami” in nursing.

“The preexisting unequal distribution of nurses around the world will be exacerbated by large-scale international recruitment to high-income countries as they look for a ‘quick fix’ solution to solving their nursing shortages, which will only widen inequalities in access to healthcare globally,” Shaffer, a co-author, said in a statement.

Hospital leaders around the country have said they are dealing with a shortage of nurses. The 

 and other groups are calling on Congress to help provide more funding to train and retain nurses.

Around the country, nurses have said they are 

 after working in a pandemic for two years. Some said they aren’t getting enough support from healthcare organizations. Some have retired or left hospitals to take more lucrative jobs with staffing agencies.

The situation isn’t likely to improve anytime soon. As many as 

40% of nurses said they plan to walk away

 in two years, according to a study published last month in 

. That study also indicated about 20% of doctors also plan to leave in two years.

Here are some other recommendations from the 

 It’s imperative for many countries to recruit and train new nurses, due to rising demand fueled by the pandemic and the number of nurses who are leaving. Countries should expand the capacity of the nurse education system.

 Countries must make a commitment to provide the necessary staffing levels of nurses.

 Providers need to make nursing careers more attractive. They must address burnout, focus on improving their workplace environment and guarantee adequate staffing. Providers also must offer attractive pay and career opportunites. Healthcare organizations should also offer access to continuing education.

 To improve the retention of nurses, providers (and nations) must assess the experiences of nurses during the pandemic and find out what they want.

 The report suggests the World Health Organization do an update of its "State of the World’s Nursing" report to assess the pandemic’s damage to the nursing workforce.

There was a nursing shortage before the pandemic and the situation is even worse now. A new study points to the need to recruit and retain more nurses around the world. 

‘Global crisis’: 13 million nurses needed worldwide over next decade

The American Hospital Association and healthcare leaders are pressing Washington for more COVID-19 relief for hospitals.

In a media call Tuesday morning, AHA officials and healthcare leaders talked about the serious toll of the coronavirus pandemic on doctors, nurses and hospitals.

Rick Pollack, the AHA’s president, acknowledged the federal government has directed billions to hospitals. But he said more support is needed, since the Omicron variant has fueled records in COVID-19 hospitalizations.

The AHA is seeking an additional $25 billion in COVID-19 relief.

The hospital association is also pushing for President Biden’s administration and Congress to release some more of the federal Provider Relief Fund to aid hospitals. The Provider Relief Fund includes a total $178 billion for all providers, and an additional $8.5 billion for rural providers. But some of that money has yet to be given out.

“No distributions have been made or announced for expenses related to the Delta or Omicron variant surges, despite increases in hospitalizations, deaths and cases,” Pollack said.

Later Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced it was distributing an additional 

About 150,000 COVID-19 patients are being treated in hospitals nationwide. The number of hospitalizations has dropped slightly from the peak in recent days, but many hospitals are filled with patients. While hospitalizations are dropping in some eastern states, western and southern states are seeing more COVID-19 patients filling hospital beds.

The AHA has sent letters to Congress and the administration urging more federal support. They outlined several priorities in the media call.

Congress and the Biden administration agreed to delay automatic cuts in Medicare but they are still coming. Medicare is slated for a 1% cut in April and a 2% reduction in July. The AHA is asking Biden and Congress to delay automatic spending cuts in Medicare, also known as sequestration, for the rest of 2022.

Hospitals are struggling financially due to the huge number of COVID-19 patients, coupled with other patients who delayed care due to the pandemic and now require treatment. And hospitals are facing higher labor and supply costs, Pollack said.

“Now is not the time to reduce support for hospitals or cut payments,” Pollack said.

Hospitals were able to get advance Medicare payments to help cover some pandemic-related costs, but the money needs to be repaid this year. The AHA is asking Congress to suspend those repayments for six months.

Pollack and other hospital leaders on the media call talked about the impact of the shortage of nurses in their facilities. Healthcare leaders said many nurses, among other healthcare professionals, have resigned or retired over the course of the coronavirus pandemic.

Robyn Begley, the AHA’s senior vice president and chief nursing officer, cited federal projections of 500,000 nurses leaving the workforce in 2022. The pandemic is leaving nurses and other healthcare workers 

“It’s very hard for our staff to go home and do one's normal activities after seeing so much pain and loss in the work setting,” Begley said.

Congress and the administration need to authorize more funding to train more doctors and nurses, Pollack and others said. There was a shortage of doctors and nurses before the emergence of COVID-19, and the pandemic has exacerbated the problem.

Pollack and other healthcare leaders have pushed Washington to authorize more federally-funded slots for graduate medical education. They're seeing more money to train doctors and nurses, particularly in vulnerable and underserved communities.

The American Hospital Association asks Biden, Congress to release billions to healthcare organizations struggling with the surge of coronavirus patients.