Hospitals

Nearly 20,000 Acute Care Hospital Positions Unfilled in Mass., Study Estimates

Industry experts are raising concern over care delays and reduced access to services

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Hospitals across the Bay State are entering crisis mode as they struggle to fill full-time positions.

Nineteen thousand full-time acute hospital positions are currently open throughout Massachusetts, according to an estimate by a new study from the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association.

Providers that represent 70% of total acute care hospital employment took part in the survey.

The highest vacancy rate was among licensed practical nurses, with 56% of positions unfilled.

The survey said the state's healthcare system is in "crisis," and warned of issues cropping up like increased wait times, "unprecedented backups in transferring patients to post-acute care services" and quickly rising labor costs.

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