HRO Today Research HR in the OR A new study takes a closer look at how staffi ng impacts profi tability in hospitals. By The Editors Earlier this year, HRO Today produced a report sponsored by Clinical Magnet called HR in the ER. The study explored the link between human resources and business outcomes in hospitals and health systems. As a follow up, Clinical Magnet once again partnered HRO Today to take a closer look at staffi ng this time around. The research focused on staffi ng levels-one of the biggest costs of any medical center-to determine what profi table hospitals do differently compared to those struggling to maintain profi tability. The results from study outline specifi c steps for success in achieving profi tablity, and it should be noted that these steps are actually different for non-profi t hospitals and for-profi t hospitals The full results of HR in the OR will be available in October, but here are some highlights: Anyone working in a hospital or medical center should ask themselves this: Is staying profi table important to the hospital/medical center? Study fi ndings consistently illustrate that those who focus on profi tability in addition to patient care have different priorities than those who do not. Those with a profi tability focus tend to: * Have a commitment to increasing revenue through higher occupancy rate and focus on revenue as much as cost reduction. * Are actively looking to increase staffi ng as part of organization objectives. * Agree that larger staffi ng budget leads to higher occupancy rate. * Consider revenue generation as important as reducing costs. * Maintain staffi ng levels approaching 90 percent, which leads to greater success in patient care, maximized revenue potential and cost reduction, and meeting mandates and government requirements. Study participants were asked if increasing the bed occupancy rate increases revenue for the hospital. Those respondents from hospitals with a profi tability focus agreed that a higher occupancy rate increased revenue, signifi cantly more often than those without a profi tability focus (87.9 percent versus 60.7 percent). The conclusion is that hospitals who focus on maintaining profi tability look to increase occupancy rate as part of their objectives. Many of the best practices on managing hospital operations center around cost reduction and pay very little attention to revenue generation. To see if cost reduction is a primary focus for hospitals, respondents were asked if reducing costs was as important as increasing revenue for SEPTEMBER 2016 | www.hrotoday.com [55]http://www.hrotoday.com