As money tightens and fewer physicians and nurses are available in many spots in Wisconsin, hospitals are trying new techniques to supply service to patients.
Dr. Judy Warmuth from Wisconsin Hospital Association says people and money are fewer and more services are being requested..
".....we're not growing our physician workforce in the state of Wisconsin. We have residents that are growing older, We have a lot of demographics going on. Plus, the reimbursement environment is changing. There are fewer and fewer dollars available in the whole public sector to pay for health care...."
To make it work, hospitals are changing how they provide care. Warmuth says a team approach is working, where a group of health care providers work with a physician. She says not everything needed by the patient requires a doctor. She says the team will see the patient, freeing up the physician to see other patients.
Nearly a quarter of the nurses employed are over age 55 and hospitals, especially in rural areas are finding it more difficult to attract physicians.
