U.S. hospital workforce-to-population ratios by service area

Traditionally, hospital productivity has been measured in terms of episodic patient services such as days or admissions. However, the delivery of health care is shifting toward a greater focus on the health of a covered population. Thus, population-based indicators of hospital productivity are needed. This work analyzes hospital FTEs per 10,000 served population across the United States as a function of regional demographic, socioeconomic, and geographic factors. For managers of integrated service networks, it provides benchmarks for hospital FTEs per service population for several personnel categories. Important findings for public policy include an 11 percent increase in FTEs per 1 percent increase in interns and residents and a 2 percent increase in FTEs per 1 percent increase in the elderly.