From time-consuming administrative tasks to role ambiguity and technology roadblocks, there’s no shortage of challenges when it comes to managing your organization’s workflows.
But operating efficiently isn’t about finding more people to do the work. It’s about helping your staff work smarter, not harder.
View our infographic to learn which efficiency killers may be threatening your organization’s productivity—and learn how to prevent them from taking root.
Click the image to view the full-sized infographic.
HEALTHCARE’S TOP 6 EFFICIENCY KILLERS
AND HOW TO STOP THEM
As the staffing crisis rages on, healthcare organizations are expected to accomplish more with fewer people. Maintaining efficiency has never been more important—and failing to do so can frustrate staff, jeopardize your reputation and damage the patient experience.
Luckily, operating efficiently doesn’t have to be about finding more people to do the work. Instead, it’s about helping your staff work smarter. Read on to see which efficiency killers may be threatening your productivity—and learn how to resolve them.
1. Front-office bottlenecks
PROBLEM
When administrative staff are swamped with phone calls and paperwork, they don’t have time to engage with patients. The waiting room fills up, and patient flow plummets. Over time, those problems can exacerbate staff burnout and erode patient loyalty.
SOLUTION
Automate manual intake tasks like check-in, consent management and insurance verification to give your staff more time to focus on patients. By implementing the right digital tools, you’ll operate more efficiently and empower your team to accomplish meaningful work.
2. Unpredictable schedules
PROBLEM
Physicians’ schedules are hectic enough, but they’re even harder to manage when patients don’t show up. Rising no-show rates1 and appointment cancellations make it tough to predict resourcing needs—and to recoup lost revenue from unexpected open slots.
SOLUTION
Use patient-scheduling tools like self-scheduling, smart waitlists and appointment reminders. These solutions make patients more likely to arrive on time for their appointments, which means you’ll expedite care, minimize revenue losses and make the most of your clinicians’ valuable time.
3. Inaccurate records
PROBLEM
Most healthcare leaders view data entry errors as the biggest contributor to duplicate medical records.2 Reconciling those errors takes time—and failing to fix them leaves healthcare organizations with unreliable information that can impede patient registration.
SOLUTION
With a digital intake platform, you can collect accurate, high-quality data directly from patients at any time, including before they arrive. Be sure to choose a solution that integrates with your EHR or PM system. Records will then be automatically updated so your staff won’t have to manually correct them.
4. Staff burnout
PROBLEM
Is your staff bogged down with repetitive phone calls, manual data entry and other unfulfilling tasks? Do they have the autonomy to creatively solve problems? If not, office morale and employee engagement and retention are bound to suffer.
SOLUTION
Host a daily huddle to discuss problems, brainstorm solutions and amplify your staff’s voice. In addition, automate repetitive tasks to make sure that your clinicians and front-office personnel have enough time to do the work they love.
5. Quality reporting
PROBLEM
Value-based care models rely on robust patient data to measure care quality. As such, providers are often tasked with meeting dozens of quality goals—but the reporting requirements for most quality programs can be mind-bogglingly complex.
SOLUTION
Use technology to automatically capture data for a range of quality measures—from fall-risk assessments to cervical cancer screenings, and many other metrics—during registration. By standardizing the process, you’ll be able to minimize manual data entry, close gaps in care and more easily meet your quality goals.
6. Vendor bloat
PROBLEM
How many technology vendors do you use for intake, access, payments and patient engagement? Digital solutions are great for efficiency—but when healthcare organizations juggle too many vendors at once, it can hamper productivity.
SOLUTION
Consolidate your tech vendors to a shortlist of trusted partners. By automating multiple tasks from a single platform, you’ll enjoy more cross-functionality and higher-quality support. You’ll also avoid pitfalls common to ad-hoc technology solutions, such as software incompatibilities and high training costs.
Ready to say goodbye to your organization’s efficiency killers? Visit phreesia.com to see our award-winning platform in action.
Sources:
1. https://www.mgma.com/data/data-stories/patient-no-shows-pose-concern-amid-medical-practic
2. https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/ehrs/survey-providers-identify-data-entry-errors-as-biggest-contributor-to-duplicate-medical-records.html
