HCAD 600
Macro Trends in the Washington D.C. Area and Their Effect on the Future of the
U.S. Healthcare System
University of Maryland Global Campus
HCAD 600 9044
Macro Trends in the Washington D.C. Area and Their Effect on the Future of the
U.S. Healthcare System
Abstract
The Human Resources Committee of the Board of Directors has become overly
concerned about the ability to identify, recruit, and retain the appropriate skill mix for our
organization. The CEO requested that our team should prepare an analysis of current trends and
their impact on the organization’s human resources in 2025, in the greater Washington, D.C.
metropolitan region. There are several concerns about the workforce shortages in nursing,
medical technology, and long-term care. In this analysis, we will identify the macro-trends that
are affecting the health workforce in the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan region, our
efforts to address the shortages and our recommendations to the board for a solution. So much
has changed over the last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We must prepare our
organization to accommodate those changes and face future obstacles.
Introduction
The Washington, D.C. metropolitan area is “one of the most vibrant regions in the United
States. Home to the nation’s capital, it comprises the District of Columbia, six counties and five
,independent cities in the Maryland and Virginia suburbs with a population of over 4.8 million
people. The area attracts people from around the United States and the world and is continuing to
increase in racial and cultural diversity with some regions now encompassing a “majority
minority” (OoIESSI, 2014). Meaning there are more minority ethnic groups resigning in the
greater metropolitan Washington, D.C. area than to white non-Hispanics, the “majority”. Over
the next five years to ten years, the healthcare workforce in the region is expected to change
drastically. It has significantly changed the economy over the last year due to the recent COVID-
19 pandemic. According to Aimee Custis, the Director of External Relations at the D.C. Policy
Center, she mentioned that “the virus has risen to prominence in the District of Columbia and
surrounding region in a few short weeks, taxing healthcare infrastructure and taking a severe toll
on the economy”. The healthcare workforce in the greater metropolitan Washington, D.C. region
will be affected in many ways, but healthcare professionals are working towards changes to make
it better. From the overall economy, demographics, personal lifestyles and behaviors, technology,
to federal and state government policies, changes will be made. Concerns about the workforce
shortages in nursing, medical technology, and long-term care will be amongst those changes as
well. The United States is the most complex healthcare system in the world and the greater
metropolitan Washington, D.C. region has the most affluent, educated, and well-insured
populations in the United States. (Koskians & Giovanis, 2014) With that being said, we are
identifying issues and developing plans to prepare for the years to come.
Economy
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic had varying implications on the healthcare sector
across the world. However, while these implications or effects of COVID-19 can be traced to
various sectors of healthcare, the economic impact for both the population and the healthcare
system itself are the most notable one. Washington, D.C.’s metropolitan area is one of the regions
to understand the overall healthcare sector of the United States with at least 16 medical centers
, and hospitals in the area (Miller, 2017). One of the leading factors that contribute to the economy
of the healthcare system is the overall growth and expansion of the United States economy. Thus,
it is vital to assess the economic implications of COVID-19 on the economy of the healthcare
sector in the United States.
The first impact of COVID-19 on the economy of the healthcare sector is the reduction in
the number of service users that are able to access the services offered by healthcare facilities in
Washington, D.C. A leading attribute pertaining to the economy and healthcare in the United
States is the ability or the power it gives to services users to access healthcare services through
insurance premiums, deductibles, and out-of-pocket costs. The economic growth experienced in
the United States accompanied by the passing of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) resulted in an
increase among service users with insurance premiums to cater for their services countrywide
(Miller, 2017). However, with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, most insurance companies
were not in an economical position to offer this premium; thus, most service users including
those in the larger Washington, D.C metropolitan area were no in a position to access quality
services to protect them or cater to their needs in relation to COVID-19. In other words,
Medicaid and Medicare insurance that guarantee quality services to residents in the larger
Washington, D.C. metropolitan area are unavailable to individuals susceptible to COVID-19.
Apart from the economic implication of COVID-19 that can be traced to insurance
premiums, another impact of this pandemic in Washington, D.C. is the high cost of healthcare.
The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic corresponds to a rapid increase in the cost of accessing
healthcare services. The high cost of health arises from the special equipment and PPE kits that
healthcare workers have to use when responding or caring for COVID-19 patients (Cheslow,
2020). In this case, the high cost of purchasing these equipment and kits has been transferred to
the entire healthcare sector of Washington, D.C. including to services users. Hence, the high cost
Macro Trends in the Washington D.C. Area and Their Effect on the Future of the
U.S. Healthcare System
University of Maryland Global Campus
HCAD 600 9044
Macro Trends in the Washington D.C. Area and Their Effect on the Future of the
U.S. Healthcare System
Abstract
The Human Resources Committee of the Board of Directors has become overly
concerned about the ability to identify, recruit, and retain the appropriate skill mix for our
organization. The CEO requested that our team should prepare an analysis of current trends and
their impact on the organization’s human resources in 2025, in the greater Washington, D.C.
metropolitan region. There are several concerns about the workforce shortages in nursing,
medical technology, and long-term care. In this analysis, we will identify the macro-trends that
are affecting the health workforce in the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan region, our
efforts to address the shortages and our recommendations to the board for a solution. So much
has changed over the last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We must prepare our
organization to accommodate those changes and face future obstacles.
Introduction
The Washington, D.C. metropolitan area is “one of the most vibrant regions in the United
States. Home to the nation’s capital, it comprises the District of Columbia, six counties and five
,independent cities in the Maryland and Virginia suburbs with a population of over 4.8 million
people. The area attracts people from around the United States and the world and is continuing to
increase in racial and cultural diversity with some regions now encompassing a “majority
minority” (OoIESSI, 2014). Meaning there are more minority ethnic groups resigning in the
greater metropolitan Washington, D.C. area than to white non-Hispanics, the “majority”. Over
the next five years to ten years, the healthcare workforce in the region is expected to change
drastically. It has significantly changed the economy over the last year due to the recent COVID-
19 pandemic. According to Aimee Custis, the Director of External Relations at the D.C. Policy
Center, she mentioned that “the virus has risen to prominence in the District of Columbia and
surrounding region in a few short weeks, taxing healthcare infrastructure and taking a severe toll
on the economy”. The healthcare workforce in the greater metropolitan Washington, D.C. region
will be affected in many ways, but healthcare professionals are working towards changes to make
it better. From the overall economy, demographics, personal lifestyles and behaviors, technology,
to federal and state government policies, changes will be made. Concerns about the workforce
shortages in nursing, medical technology, and long-term care will be amongst those changes as
well. The United States is the most complex healthcare system in the world and the greater
metropolitan Washington, D.C. region has the most affluent, educated, and well-insured
populations in the United States. (Koskians & Giovanis, 2014) With that being said, we are
identifying issues and developing plans to prepare for the years to come.
Economy
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic had varying implications on the healthcare sector
across the world. However, while these implications or effects of COVID-19 can be traced to
various sectors of healthcare, the economic impact for both the population and the healthcare
system itself are the most notable one. Washington, D.C.’s metropolitan area is one of the regions
to understand the overall healthcare sector of the United States with at least 16 medical centers
, and hospitals in the area (Miller, 2017). One of the leading factors that contribute to the economy
of the healthcare system is the overall growth and expansion of the United States economy. Thus,
it is vital to assess the economic implications of COVID-19 on the economy of the healthcare
sector in the United States.
The first impact of COVID-19 on the economy of the healthcare sector is the reduction in
the number of service users that are able to access the services offered by healthcare facilities in
Washington, D.C. A leading attribute pertaining to the economy and healthcare in the United
States is the ability or the power it gives to services users to access healthcare services through
insurance premiums, deductibles, and out-of-pocket costs. The economic growth experienced in
the United States accompanied by the passing of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) resulted in an
increase among service users with insurance premiums to cater for their services countrywide
(Miller, 2017). However, with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, most insurance companies
were not in an economical position to offer this premium; thus, most service users including
those in the larger Washington, D.C metropolitan area were no in a position to access quality
services to protect them or cater to their needs in relation to COVID-19. In other words,
Medicaid and Medicare insurance that guarantee quality services to residents in the larger
Washington, D.C. metropolitan area are unavailable to individuals susceptible to COVID-19.
Apart from the economic implication of COVID-19 that can be traced to insurance
premiums, another impact of this pandemic in Washington, D.C. is the high cost of healthcare.
The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic corresponds to a rapid increase in the cost of accessing
healthcare services. The high cost of health arises from the special equipment and PPE kits that
healthcare workers have to use when responding or caring for COVID-19 patients (Cheslow,
2020). In this case, the high cost of purchasing these equipment and kits has been transferred to
the entire healthcare sector of Washington, D.C. including to services users. Hence, the high cost
