Does "turn over" mean "give the job of"? What does "staffing" mean?

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NewHopeR

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Does "turn over" mean "give the job of"? What does "staffing" mean?

Context:

To achieve promised savings, hospitals turn over the management of their front-line staffing — like patient registration and scheduling — and their back-office collection activities.

More:
Collector Is Faulted for Tough Tactics in Hospitals
 

bhaisahab

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Tdol

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Re: Does "turn over" mean "give the job of"? What does "staffing" mean?

I think it does- they hand the job over to someone else to run.
 

BobK

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Re: Does "turn over" mean "give the job of"? What does "staffing" mean?

I think it does- they hand the job over to someone else to run.
With respect, no it doesn't! ;-) But I bet it means something in Am E. It's in the NYT.

In Br E, we could turn over something to someone, but we have to express the recipient. I expect it means either that they 'outsource' the admin (turn over the admin to outsiders) or that top management lay off middle management and make their front-line workers (nurses, porters and so on) turn their attention to admin (distracting them from from their real jobs).

Wait for the USA to wake up.

b
 

Tdol

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Re: Does "turn over" mean "give the job of"? What does "staffing" mean?

Sorry.
 

BobSmith

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Re: Does "turn over" mean "give the job of"? What does "staffing" mean?

[AmE - not a teacher]

"Staffing" is the present participle of to staff, used here as a gerund. "front-line staffing" means the workers (staffing) who interact with the public (front-line).
 

BobSmith

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Re: Does "turn over" mean "give the job of"? What does "staffing" mean?

I expect it means either that they 'outsource' the admin (turn over the admin to outsiders)

I'm confused, how does this not mean "they hand the job over to someone else to run"?

IMO, this is exactly what the sentence means.
 

SoothingDave

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Re: Does "turn over" mean "give the job of"? What does "staffing" mean?

I am assuming elsewhere in the article it is more clear about who they "turn over" the management to. Pulled out as one sentence, I agree with the others that it seems to need an object of the "turning over." Though the meaning is clear to me, just not the object.
 
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