Maximizing clinical capacity could be the difference between health systems’ success and failure in the new healthcare economy that demands better access to care. No patient wants to wait weeks—or months—for care.
Although maximizing clinical capacity poses a daunting hurdle, it also offers a huge opportunity for health systems to examine how they coordinate provider and facility schedules. By leveraging platforms that link provider scheduling with room management, on-call, and credentialing, health systems can ensure that the right providers go to the right places at the correct times to maximize patients’ access to care.
A unified credentialing and scheduling platform can be particularly beneficial for maximizing patients’ access to care. Fusing these provider operations together ensures that providers and staff are only in the care settings for which they are credentialed, privileged, and available. Likewise, the moment a provider is credentialed, they should appear in the schedule to maximize their availability for patient appointments.
Challenge #5: Improve outcomes
For years, health systems have gathered provider data to drive evidence-based processes and protocols. That trend is sure to continue, but there is a danger: health systems can’t afford to concentrate so intently on data gathering and analysis that they fall short of putting the data into operational use.
Tons of high-grained data are generated as providers get credentialed, are scheduled, and go about their daily caregiving activities. Data offers excellent insight into who is doing what, where, and when—and the resulting clinical and financial ramifications. However, health systems must operationalize that insight if they hope to advance outcomes.
As the calendar flips to 2023, health systems nationwide will be challenged to integrate their services as an enterprise while preserving the local culture, practices, and autonomy that promote efficiency and effectiveness. However, those health systems that focus earnestly on provider operations will likely find it easier to build truly integrated teams that successfully improve outcomes across the enterprise.
About the author: Rich Miller is the chief innovation officer at QGenda.Back to HCB News
