Three tips to address healthcare employee turnover in revenue cycle management
During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare employee turnover continues to plague medical practices and hospitals nationwide. Although clinical staff turnover often makes headlines, less is known about the rate at which administrative staff (i.e., revenue cycle management [RCM] and front-end workers) leave their positions to seek employment elsewhere. Many of these individuals are often lured by non-healthcare companies that may pay higher salaries and offer flexible schedules, all without the risk of daily exposure to COVID-19. In fact, a 2021 Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation survey found that nearly 30% of healthcare workers (i.e., those who work in a health care delivery setting in direct contact with patients or their bodily fluids) may leave the profession altogether. This mass exodus is part of a larger workforce trend often dubbed the Great Resignation, and healthcare is one of the hardest-hit industries. By late 2021, one in five healthcare workers had already quit their jobs.
How does healthcare employee turnover affect patient care?
When staff shortages in healthcare occur, patients may be the ones who suffer most. Whether it’s a longer wait time to check in for an appointment, an incorrect medical bill, or an inability to get through to someone on the phone and ask a question, the effect on patient care and patient satisfaction is real. In addition, staff in these roles may be tasked with taking on additional responsibilities. This can fuel frustration and circumvent opportunities for meaningful patient engagement.
Is there anything providers can do to address healthcare employee turnover?
Must healthcare providers move forward with ‘business as usual’ despite staffing shortages and their obvious impact on patient care? The answer is ‘no.’ Healthcare providers don’t need to compromise patient care. They also don’t necessarily need to focus on hiring more people. Here are three tips to help healthcare providers weather staff shortages in healthcare with ease.
1. Seek external help
In many markets, healthcare providers simply can’t employ enough people to sustain a successful RCM process. Healthcare employee turnover often leads to cash flow interruptions, denials, and other financial challenges that make it impossible to survive in a competitive healthcare marketplace. However, the right specialty-focused medical billing and collections partner can tackle—and even prevent—these challenges with full transparency along the way. This means healthcare providers can focus on doing what they do best: Provide high-quality patient care and even expand that care to grow the business. A full-service approach for RCM can open doors and create new opportunities for growth.
2. Automate RCM workflows
During times of staffing shortages and healthcare employee turnover, automation can help healthcare providers continue to deliver high-quality patient care and a stellar patient experience. How? RCM and front-end staff spend less time on manual, repetitive tasks (e.g., collecting and reviewing referrals, verifying eligibility, following up with payer denials, and posting payments) and more time actually engaging patients. This includes greeting them when they arrive, answering questions, providing financial counseling, and conversing about things that matter to them. Automation doesn’t detract from the patient experience — it enhances it.
3. Put patients in control
As in many non-healthcare industries, patients want the ability to do things on their own terms—on their own time and when it’s convenient for them. To satisfy this desire and promote patient empowerment, healthcare providers can adopt technology that enables patients to pay their bills online, check in for appointment via a kiosk, access lab results and other important health documents via their mobile device, and so much more.
Conclusion
What is the impact of healthcare staffing shortages? It depends on what proactive steps, if any, are taken take to mitigate risk. The impact may be minimal, but only when healthcare providers prioritize staff retention, leverage automation, and focus on patient empowerment. Learn how edgeMED can help by visiting https://www.edgemed.com.
