Staff, supply expenses are top concerns among U.S. hospital CEOs

ILLINOIS, UNITED STATES — Chief executive officers of U.S. hospitals cite staff and supply expenses as the major financial challenges that confronted their operations in 2023.

In the American College of Healthcare Executives’ annual survey 2023, 94% of 288 respondents claim that increasing staff and supply costs were their critical financial challenges last year.

This was followed by managed care and other commercial insurance payments (66%), Medicaid reimbursement (61%), reducing operating costs (58%), and revenue cycle management (52%).

The survey also covered workforce challenges, where 87% of CEOs said they experienced shortages in laboratory technicians. 

This was followed by shortages of registered nurses (86%), burnout among non-physician staff (79%), shortages of physician specialists (71%), shortages of therapists (68%), shortages of primary care physicians (65%), shortages of advanced practice professionals (32%), and managing remote staff (27%).

The U.S. has been grappling with healthcare workforce shortages amid an aging population. A survey by AMN Healthcare found that 53% of nurse leaders find outsourcing useful in addressing labor shortages.