A 2022 study from PwC concluded that executives in the healthcare industry view staffing shortages as a primary concern, along with the affordability of care. Experts argue that 2023 will be a pivotal year for the industry. Organizations will need to retool their traditional business models to survive, including reconsidering how they staff their administrative wings and care facilities.
How Staffing Shortages Are Changing the Healthcare Industry
The study found that many executives believe that the healthcare industry will need to adapt in order to survive. Much of this is due to a lack of healthcare workers. The lack of employees is threatening the viability of many hospitals. The industry will need to evolve to overcome this challenge. Care facilities have many options, however, they will need to clearly define and zero in on their specific role in the broader industry.
Healthcare organizations will need to focus on one of three areas in the evolving healthcare industry, according to the PwC study. They can focus on offering a seamless and humane patient experience, simplifying services to reduce costs but improve convenience, or continue to innovate new technology that effectively stores data.
Tackling Staffing Shortages and Cutting Costs
The solutions to healthcare executives’ biggest concerns (a lack of workers and the high cost of care) are interconnected. Healthcare facilities can reduce costs for practices and patients by retooling their staffing models. Nurses can be upskilled, so fewer staff can handle all the tasks that need to be completed within the care facility. Work that does not need to be completed within the facility can be assigned to staff that can work remotely. This allows practices to lower costs and operate more efficiently.
Additionally, practices can find contractors to manage certain responsibilities. Many healthcare administrative tasks, like medical coding and billing, can be outsourced. Often, healthcare employees that work on-site are asked to handle these things, instead of focusing on patient well-being. This can help a practice become more efficient and cut labor costs. Outsourcing healthcare administrative services can be an effective solution to both healthcare worker shortages and the high cost of care.
Looking to Tackle Staffing Shortages in your Healthcare Practice?
MedCore Solutions can help your practice tackle staffing shortages and challenges associated with outsourcing medical billing. They are an industry leader in streamlined medical billing and administrative services. MedCore’s billing and coding specialists offer a solution to industry-wide staffing shortages, all while helping your practice run smoothly. MedCore tailors solutions to the needs of each medical practice so providers can focus on what matters most: taking care of their patients. Learn more at https://medcoresolutions.com/.
Reference
Xtelligent Healthcare Media (2023, January 9). Affordability, Labor Shortages Top Issues for Healthcare Execs. Retrieved from: https://revcycleintelligence.com/news/affordability-labor-shortages-top-issues-for-healthcare-execs.