by Guest Author | Jul 10, 2019
The mission of the Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy is to improve population health by contributing to informed health workforce policy through data management, community engagement, and original research. The Bowen Center has a rich history of collecting, analyzing, and disseminating health workforce data and research for the State of Indiana. These health workforce data are important to informing health workforce policy and planning efforts throughout Indiana. The nursing workforce represents the largest segment of the health workforce and works in a variety of settings to fulfill direct patient care, coordination of care, administrative and research roles.1 In fact, in 2015 Indiana had nearly 104,000 registered nurses (RNs) renew their professional license. Furthermore, as the number of medical students choosing to specialize in primary care decreases, the number of advanced practice nurses (APNs) has more than doubled over the past 20 years.2 Understanding the supply and distribution of the RN and APN workforce is critical to understand their capacity to meet healthcare needs and improve population health. The data presented in this report provides a snapshot of key demographic and practice characteristics for the RN workforce.
by Guest Author | Jul 10, 2019
Registered nurses (RNs) are the largest professional group within the health workforce. These professionals are a vital part of the health system, including health care delivery and public health. Demand for nurses is on the rise. The Indiana Department of Workforce Development projects a 17.7% increase in the need for RNs by 2022. Understanding the supply, distribution, and characteristics of the RN workforce is crucial to informing health workforce policy discussions. This fact sheet provides a snapshot of data that pertain to relevant policy issues in the RN workforce at the State and Federal levels and is intended to serve as a resource to inform these important policy discussions.
by Guest Author | Jul 10, 2019
Over the past few years, and in light of the recent Supreme Court ruling on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the result of the 2012 Presidential election, access to health care services has been in the forefront of health care discussions. Driving these discussions are rising chronic disease rates, skyrocketing health care costs, and the ever increasing number of individuals falling into that black hole known as the “uninsured” — all of which are major burdens on Indiana’s health system. Regardless of ones perspective on health reform, the links between primary health care access, health outcomes, and health care costs are undeniable [1-3]. People with access to primary health care services live longer, healthier lives, and the overall cost of their health care are less than those without access to these services. Ensuring a strong primary health care system across the State of Indiana is crucial to ensuring the health of Hoosiers and improving the efficiency of Indiana’s health system. However, before our current system can be strengthened, it must be understood. This begs the following questions: what is primary care?; why is it important?; who provides these services?; and where are they located? The development and implementation of health policies and primary health care programs that would secure Hoosier health relies on the ability of the State of Indiana to make informed decisions.
by Guest Author | Jul 10, 2019
Workforce shortages have been documented across a broad spectrum of health profession disciplines in Indiana. Currently, federal, state and local programs exist to recruit and retain health professionals in our state; however, these programs have had minimal impact on the underlying factors that contribute to the problem. Additional steps must be taken to expand the supply of health professionals to adequately meet the growing need for health care services among Indiana residents. While many health professional shortages exist, this brief will focus on the primary care physicians and nurses needed to provide medical homes for residents of our state.
by Guest Author | Jul 10, 2019
As Indiana plans for the development of a strong nursing workforce, data should be used to inform decisions that are able to 1) accurately describe the current workforce and 2) identify challenges and emerging issues. Data informed decisions will result in workforce policies and planning efforts that closely align with the actual health workforce needs. This report provides a ‘snapshot’ of the most recent data on Indiana’s nursing workforce, identifies emerging issues, and presents information pertinent to workforce planning and policy.
