FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 11, 2022
PRESS CONTACT: Ana Hornburg 517-908-8229 or [email protected]
LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Health Council (MHC) today released a new analysis of 2010-2020 health care turnover data titled “Michigan Health Care Turnover Spikes in 2020”. The analysis highlights nursing, mental health, and patient support professions which have seen especially high turnover rates since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The current health care workforce shortage combined with what we’re now seeing in turnover rates has contributed to increased costs for hospitals, other health care providers, and ultimately for patients,” said Melanie Brim, President and CEO of MHC. “It’s vital we look for opportunities to collaborate on innovative solutions to address these challenges.”
According to the “2021 NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report”, the average cost of turnover for a bedside RN is $40,038. This results in the average hospital losing between $3.6 million and $6.5 million per year due to turnover.
“In times like these, it’s important to look and the data and assess the situation,” said Michelle Wein, Director of Data & Research at MHC. “What I’ve found indicates that there’s an immediate need for creative solutions across multiple professions.”
Wein analyzed and wrote the analysis on turnover to bring attention to the sometimes overlooked statistic of turnover. She leads a service line called “MHC Insight” which focuses on researching and reporting on health care workforce data.
“Nursing turnover leads to immediate and obvious problems, so it’s concerning to see the rate grow even more,” said Craig Donahue, Vice President and COO of MHC. “But we can’t overlook the other professions mentioned within the data which have shown even more alarming changes.”
According to the analysis, turnover for patient support professions declined between 2015 and 2019 but saw a 21.6 percentage point increase in 2020 to a rate of 91.2 percent. Not to be outdone, home health care aides saw an individual turnover rate of over 100 percent in 2020.
“The pandemic has shone an even harsher light on the issues our health care system faces every day,” said Brim. “Exploring tactics to reduce turnover will be key to maintaining healthy communities.”
To read the full analysis, titled “Michigan Health Care Turnover Spikes in 2020”, you may visit mhc.org/2020-turnover.
Michigan Health Council (MHC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization on a mission to create products and provide services their partners rely on to build health care workforce capacity. Learn more at mhc.org.
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