As Covid-19 continues on in the new year, healthcare staffing rates continue to reach new lows. Healthcare workers have been pushed to their limits, the combination of burnout, long hours and repetitive administrative tasks taking their toll. The numbers tell the story - since the pandemic began, nearly one-fifth of healthcare workers have quit their jobs, and nearly 30% are considering leaving the profession altogether.
Health plans have had to deal with the fallout and have been forced to adapt in new and innovative ways to meet shifting patient demand and rapidly evolving care needs. As a result, many plans are adopting technology-enabled healthcare staffing solutions to simplify operations, reduce manual processes and optimize service delivery. Streamlining highly manual or repetitive tasks like data entry, patient registration and prior authorization is now critical for success in this new world of efficient, value-based care delivery.
The following strategies are emerging as highly effective and sustainable solutions for health plans to realize operational and staffing efficiencies now and into the future.
Implementing innovative workflows enables healthcare plans of all sizes to more efficiently utilize their available resources and optimize clinical and financial operations. Streamlined workflows have been shown to reduce the potential for medical errors, increase HIPAA compliance, and improve the quality of care given to patients.
When administrative workflows are automated, they have been shown to offer even greater efficiencies, further unburdening beleaguered workers. In fact, studies have shown that some 40% of the tasks performed by healthcare support occupations can be automated.
Streamlining administrative workflows with intelligent automation has greatly benefitted payers, providers, and patients alike – and not only with easing staffing constraints. Payers can devote time formerly spent on time-consuming manual tasks to being more strategic and proactive. Providers are freed up from burdensome administrative tasks and can spend more time focusing on their patients. And patient levels of trust and engagement in their medical treatment in turn go up as a result.
A data-driven approach using predictive analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) has enabled health systems to optimize and automate workflows even further. According to a recent study, one of the top ten AI applications in health care is administrative workflow assistance.
AI is often applied within healthcare to make sense of clinical data by identifying trends that can lead to better patient outcomes. Algorithms and predictive models can be used to assess the likeliness of medical conditions and disease progression.
Because nurses and care managers are often the staff using these algorithms, it’s important for them to understand how AI can be used supplement their efforts and affect quality patient outcomes. For the reason, it’s advised that clinical staff be included in the development and selection of these AI-based technology tools.
Health plan departments have traditionally operated in a siloed approach, with information passing from one group to another in a linear manner. With this structure, department administrative staff are often faced with having to repeat processes and re-enter data, increasing the chances for error, fragmentation, and gaps in care.
The use of technology to integrate systems and provide greater visibility into data-driven insights across the enterprise enables teams to collaborate, realize efficiencies and identify additional resources when and where they’re needed most. Most importantly, integrated systems foster a culture of transparency, and provide an accurate and holistic picture of a patient’s health. These efficiencies enable care managers and providers to better manage their time and focus on the members with the greatest needs at the right time.
The ability to proactively make informed, data-guided decisions using automation supports the “Quadruple Aim” in health care – improving the work life of health care providers, including staff and clinicians. Vital Data Technology’s cloud-based Affinitē platform drives intelligent automation into health plan workflows, collectively benefitting all healthcare stakeholders and alleviating staffing challenges.
For example, one of our clients, a large health plan responsible for nearly two million lives, implemented our intelligent automation solution into their care management workflow. Within one year, they saw significant improvements to their department’s performance, including:
In addition, care management team outreach increased year-over-year by 56%, with 27% of the members contacted enrolled in care management, up 50% compared to the previous year. According to Deborah Hill, Vice President of Care Management for Vital Data Technology, “Using data science to identify members who were most likely to engage in case management was a game changer.” She added, “The built-in automation generated touchpoints, referrals, and assignments sent directly to the correct recipients, creating a more efficient workflow for staff, and significantly better outcomes for members.”
To learn more about how Vital Data Technology is transforming the healthcare ecosystem with prescriptive insights to improve member health and lower costs, click below.