Apr. 24--Executives at Owensboro Medical Health System have been talking about the challenges of the increased demand for local health care services and the implications of a nursing shortage since they announced plans for a new hospital in 2006.
Vicki Stogsdill, OMHS's vice president of nursing, dug deeper into the demographics Thursday in a presentation to the Regional Alliance for Education to show how the aging of baby boomers -- those persons born between 1946 and 1964 -- is demanding changes in the health care system.
"Not just hospitals, but also physician's offices will feel the effects of this aging population," Stogsdill told the Alliance.
The Alliance is the region's P-16 Council that is made up of about 30 representatives from K-12 school systems, higher education, elected officials and employers from Daviess, Hancock, McLean and Ohio counties.
The first wave of America's 78 million baby boomers will turn 64 in 2010.
By the time the last of this group reaches retirement age, more than 20 percent of the U.S. population will be 65 or older, compared to 13 percent today.
With increased life expectancies, baby boomers will live longer and also will require and use more health care services.
As residents age, they will be grappling with obesity, diabetes and arthritis and other chronic diseases. Hospital and doctor's office visits will increase.
The physician shortage, as baby boomers are aging, will be the greatest for specialties they will use the most.
"At a meeting last week, Dr. Bill Bryant, our patient safety officer, said to his peers, 'We are all gerontologists, whether we know it or not,' " Stogsdill said.
The Owensboro region now has a shortage of more than 250 physicians, and by the time the new hospital opens, it will be lagging by 300, she said.
OMHS continuously recruits doctors.
The challenges also present opportunities, including changing how services are delivered and who delivers them. The numbers of physician's assistants and registered nurse practitioners are increasing.
Stogsdill said OMHS' staff already have made changes to improve outcomes.
The focus on quality started nearly 10 years ago after a study conducted in 1999 shocked the health care industry with the report that 98,000 people die annually from medical errors in hospitals.
OMHS's efforts led to its position among the top 5 percent of rated hospitals in the country for clinical excellence, according to HealthGrades, a group focused on improving health care quality nationwide.
"We also found from our research that there is no correlation to spending more and getting better outcomes," she said. "... Quality care costs less."
Hospitals will have to continue to change, and OMHS is doing that, Stogsdill said.
The country also needs to redo its educational system, she said.
OMHS is working with regional colleges and universities to address the shortage of nurses and other health care workers.
In particular, the hospital wants to boost the number of nurses holding bachelor's degrees since research shows the additional education improves outcomes.
In 1996, the U.S. Dept. of Education recommended that at least two-thirds of the registered nurses hold bachelor's degrees by 2010.
Nationally, about 38 percent have baccalaureate degrees; 28 percent in Kentucky, and 23 percent at OMHS.
OMHS recently partnered with the University of Louisville to create a four-year, bachelor of science nursing degree program at OMHS that incorporates distance learning.
One of the reasons the hospital chose to work with U of L is that it changed its curriculum in the last two years, and "it matches what we're trying to achieve."
Most notably, the coursework adds "the philosophy of continuous improvement," she said.
Owensboro's public and private colleges are offering courses to feed the new degree program.
Stogsdill suggested the Regional Alliance can help to create more awareness of the health care work force needs.
Stacy Edds-Ellis, director of Owensboro Community & Technical College's Discover College programs and chairwoman of the Alliance's Health Science Committee, gave an update on programs OCTC has started to get more high school students in the health care work force pipeline.
Dual enrollment programs in health science at Owensboro, Hancock and Ohio county high schools are feeding various medical careers, and a new Nurse Track program is attracting students, she said.
OCTC has the capacity to serve 30 students in the health science program, and 63 students are interested, she said.
Both Edds-Ellis and Nick Brake, president and CEO of the Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corporation, said the Alliance may want to address ways to ensure the community can serve these students.
"For the sake of our largest employer and for the sake of this (health care) economic engine, we need to figure out how to make it happen," Brake said.
Judge-Executive Reid Haire chairs the Regional Alliance.
A report from the American Hospital Association called "When I'm 64: How Boomers Will Change Health Care" may be viewed at www.aha.org/aha/content/2007/pdf/070508-boomerreport.pdf.
Joy Campbell, 691-7299, jcampbell@messenger-inquirer.com
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