A recent survey revealed the top workforce challenges that the healthcare industry is currently facing, with the effects of the COVID-19 health crisis. Among the reported workforce challenges were:
- Hiring qualified job candidates at 67%
- Employee turnover at 57%
The pandemic’s impact on healthcare organizations across the US is a major contributor to these numbers —not only did it lead to increased turnover, but also made it even harder for organizations to efficiently hire new workers. Even when unemployment levels grew, another 56% expressed difficulty recruiting displaced workers.
Impact on home care
An article by the Home Health Care News featuring a large DC & Maryland-based homecare provider revealed how the COVID-19 pandemic made building a workforce a painful effort.
While home care organizations have always struggled with staff retention, the in-home field clinician job itself became even more challenging with added health risks and new personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements among other safety protocols. On top of that, home care employers also have to hold out against stronger unemployment benefits granted by the government, and rising competition with other healthcare sectors. Hospitals, for one, remain a tough rival when it comes to staffing —as COVID-19 spiked and hospitalizations surged, many home care workers left for jobs in the hospitals.
Additionally, home care providers now have to establish new strategies to remotely recruit and onboard new workers. Although virtual recruitment is the direction most organizations aim to pursue, it has since been a struggle, and by far less efficient.
Home care businesses that outsource face fewer challenges during COVID-19 outbreak
The COVID-19 outbreak badly hit the entire home care and other post-acute care settings. Surveys report a 55% decrease in revenue and a 60% drop in patient volume. See the analysis by MGMA >>
Fortunately, home care businesses that outsource saw reduced expenses especially for outsourced functions that are directly associated with chart volume and patient count. In addition, having an outsourcing partner allowed these businesses to focus on securing new safety equipment and protocols, and pursuing cash resources to prepare for the negative impacts of the health crisis, instead of transitioning their administrative workforce into a remote working setup.
Outsourcing for home health: OASIS & coding
Rising patient care costs, compliance complexities, and staffing are major pain points of healthcare providers in general. With even more challenges presented by COVID-19, decision-makers now have to employ smarter ways to reduce overhead costs while maintaining quality work. In the home health setting, outsourcing the OASIS and coding functions have proven to yield strong results including:
✓ Optimized reimbursements
✓ Lower denied claims
✓ Better reporting and performance insights
✓ Higher productivity
If you are new to outsourcing or exploring other options for an outsourcing partner, contact our team at Qavalo and we can chat about how you can optimize your workforce and secure business sustainability with the help of outsourcing.
