I’m pretty sure we are all tired of talking about, reading about, and, yes, even writing about the unprecedented challenges that have been faced over the past few years in healthcare. And let’s face it, in life. Across the board, we have had to change the way we operate practically overnight and most of us are still reeling from it. Depression rates, which tripled when the pandemic hit, have only gotten worse over time and, in general, people are still feeling overwhelmed, unsettled, and generally worn out.
For those in healthcare, burnout and stress are coming to a head, and many healthcare organizations are having difficulty retaining and hiring staff. According to a recent survey by the staffing firm Incredible Health, 23% of surveyed nurses reported they would most likely be leaving their job this year and 44% of those cited burn-out and stress as the reason. This is, of course, on top of the labor crunch that was already being faced by the healthcare industry pre-pandemic. It’s untenable and the impact is real. At this point, there is no other option than to learn how to do everything we once did, but better. A daunting hill to climb after a two-and-a-half-year marathon.
But we can’t quit now. We can work together and change the way things are done. We can drive better outcomes for patients and providers and make it through this pandemic stronger than we were before. Here are three simple ways to optimize resources within your practice quickly.
Study after study has found a correlation between increased patient engagement and successful outcomes. With limited office staff how do you achieve consistency in patient engagement? One way is by implementing a remote care team to supplement your in-office resources. By keeping certain functions separate from your day-to-day operations you can ensure that your teams are fully focused on individual but complementary priorities. While in-office staff focus on ensuring a positive experience for patients during their visits, remote care managers can drive consistency of care between office visits. Remote team members can drive compliance with preventative care measures, direct patients to appropriate resources and even schedule and confirm appointments.
By leveraging a third party and the care management approach, this access to additional staff and additional patient support is revenue neutral and puts no additional burden on the practice.
Patients who are living with persistent illness are, no doubt, one of the largest demographics being impacted by scarcity of resources. By more efficiently managing the care of this specific group, the downstream impact can have a meaningful effect on the organization as a whole. This includes positive outcomes such as:
Increased office visits for “good” reasons
Better quality office visits
A good care management program will supplement your in-office visits with information and data accumulated over-time. This provides better insights into the patients current health status and allows for higher quality interactions to occur during the visit. It also provides reliable consistent access to care for the patient – improving their satisfaction and retention.
For years, new technologies have been introduced to streamline the healthcare model and while some have undoubtably made their mark, electronic health records anyone?, others have failed to drive true value. It is our belief at Wellbox that the technologies that make a true difference are the ones built to enhance, rather than replace, human interactions.
A critical success factor for implementing new technologies into your own business is how seamlessly that tool can be used to enhance your pre-existing processes. No one has the time or energy these days for complex implementations that divert precious resources. If it is too hard to implement, maintain, access or use – it simply won’t be effective. When looking at new technology options – the best question to ask is “ Does this technology enhance my workflow and improve my patient care?” If the answer is yes, it’s worth looking into.
At Wellbox, our team of remote nurses and clinical staff have been able to help drive value and positive clinical outcomes for practices and healthcare systems since 2015. Contact us to discuss how our teams can work together to meet your post-pandemic strategic objectives.
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