The Impact of Healthcare Education on Patient Outcomes

As published on LinkedIN by Hilton Hudson II,MD. CEO of HPC International Inc.

The healthcare system is burdened with hidden costs for stakeholders at every level. Some of these costs are a mere nuisance, while others pose serious consequences. Among the most critical is the hidden cost of employing undereducated staff in critical positions, which can compromise patient safety and escalate the risk of errors in diagnosis, treatment, and medication administration. These mistakes can lead to prolonged hospital stays, increased medical complications, and even preventable deaths.

Undereducation of staff not only undermines the quality of care hospitals provide—an essential metric for attracting patients, recruiting top talent, and securing funding, including more favorable reimbursement rates —but also erodes patient trust and drives up healthcare costs.

Higher Value at a Lower Cost?

One example of this is the ongoing debate surrounding the roles and scope of practice for physicians and nurse practitioners. According to Kaufman Hall, a healthcare consulting company recently cited by Bloomberg, a primary care physician costs $344,308 a year on average, whereas a primary care nurse practitioner costs about $156,546. Despite the lower cost, primary care nurse practitioners can generate $424,979 of direct revenue annually, just $37,000 less than physicians. This creates a strong financial incentive for hospitals and health systems, especially publicly traded companies with shareholders focused on reducing expenses, to prioritize employing nurse practitioners wherever possible.

Risks of Deprioritizing Healthcare Education

These incentives, however, are misaligned with patient outcomes. By hiring underqualified staff for tasks that fall outside their scope of practice, hospitals and health systems risk unnecessary deaths, delayed or inaccurate diagnoses, and other avoidable outcomes that add up to more costs. One wrongful-death lawsuit can offset any immediate cost savings in an instant. In the article, Bloomberg highlights this issue with the case of a nurse practitioner who, after being linked to three patient deaths, was placed on a performance improvement plan and eventually terminated following a fourth patient death that occurred on her watch.

As the cost of providing care continues to rise, efficiency and profitability will become even more critical for hospitals and health systems. This pressure frequently results in “scope creep,” where nurse practitioners and other clinicians are expected to fill gaps left by physician shortages, taking on responsibilities for which they lack adequate training or expertise.

Healthcare Education Benefits

Sometimes, time constraints on providers mean that even a highly-trained doctor might make the same mistake in a given situation as a nurse practitioner. In others, Continuing Medical Education (CME) can mean the difference between life or death. CME is an essential tool for ensuring a hospital or health system’s best practices align with the current research in every field of care. By enriching the knowledge and skills of healthcare professionals, quality healthcare education improves patient outcomes and reduces critical errors that drive up healthcare costs.

Typically, CME is delivered by third-party providers through large conferences focused on specific branches of medicine, scholarly publications, and online learning platforms. While CME is no substitute for hiring a doctor to perform a doctor’s role, it offers hospitals and health systems a low-cost, high-reward investment, especially when they struggle to meet hiring goals due to resource limitations.

Still, even the most highly trained doctors cannot thrive in isolation. Along with offering CME, hospitals and health systems must scale up the staffing, services, and other infrastructure available to support clinicians effectively. No amount of education will help a doctor or nurse practitioner improve patient outcomes like a strong, competent team and capable tools. Surrounding an exceptional clinician with subpar support staff is a recipe for disaster, and patients pay the highest cost.

Summary

The healthcare industry stands at a crossroads where financial pressures and patient outcomes often seem at odds. While cost-saving measures like employing nurse practitioners in broader roles can provide short-term relief, they come with significant risks if not carefully managed. Ensuring patient safety and well-being requires more than just balancing budgets – it demands investing in well-trained, competent staff and providing them with the tools and ongoing education needed to succeed.

Hospitals and health systems can reduce errors, improve outcomes, and build trust with their patients by prioritizing quality hiring, healthcare education, and robust team infrastructure. In the long run, this approach not only saves costs but also safeguards the integrity and reputation of the healthcare system—a win for providers, patients, and stakeholders alike.