Health systems have long grasped the importance of identifying and addressing gaps in care that exist within their communities. But many of the most vulnerable people who walk through a hospital's doors aren't patients.
They're employees.
"A hospital's patients and their workforce often live in the same neighborhoods," said Beth Godsey, Vizient senior vice president of data science and methodology. "Hospitals don't always think about the fact that their employees and patients may share the same issues. If health systems know there are synergies between the social needs of their employees and patients, they can offer services to support both."
That's why Godsey and Heather Blonsky, Vizient lead data scientist, are applying the capabilities of the patent pending Vizient Vulnerability Index™ to member workforces as part of a pilot program that will examine how social drivers of health affect a hospital's employee population. Members who are interested in participating or would like additional information are encouraged to email Blonsky.
Blonsky and Godsey recently applied the Vizient Vulnerability Index to one member hospital where they found two zip codes represented an intersection of higher vulnerability — particularly related to food insecurity and lack of transportation — and significant employee counts, as well as higher rates of turnover and unplanned PTO. The zip codes were located 10 miles or further from the hospital and included employees such as registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, technicians, medical assistants, and food service and maintenance workers.
"When we presented the findings, the hospital was like, 'Whoa, we've never seen this before,'" Godsey said. "They said, 'We just didn't know what challenges our employees were dealing with specifically.'"
And that's exactly the goal of the pilot, Blonsky said — to help members identify the specific socioeconomic challenges their employees face so that they can pinpoint the most effective ways to address their needs. After all, doing so is of critical importance considering workforce retention is one of the most pressing issues faced by health systems across the U.S.
"Especially over the past two years, there's simply no room to lose employees," Blonsky said. "If you can do something to keep them, it's absolutely worth it. The investment you make in your workforce can be amended or improved by figuring out what's likely to interfere with their engagement — and that could be their neighborhood."
Learn more about how Vizient works to advance health equity and improve workforce optimization and engagement.