It’s no secret the COVID-19 crisis has an effect on nearly every facet of life, with one of the hardest-hit areas being the hospital industry. The AHA estimates “a total four-month financial impact of $202.6 billion in losses for America’s hospitals and health systems, or an average of $50.7 billion per month”. Even prior to COVID-19, hospitals were having difficulties meeting growing financial demands.
COVID-19 cases are on the rise in several states where the emergency ban had been slightly lifted, including in Florida and Tennessee. Last week, Tennessee reported the largest one-day jump, with 1400 newly positive tested patients.
What can help hospitals alleviate devastating financial losses?
One practice many hospitals are increasingly implementing is the use of outsourced high-quality Advanced Practice Providers (APP’s), provided through privately held healthcare service companies such as AP Health.
Throughout the pandemic, hospitals outsourcing clinical staffing experienced a level of financial flexibility not felt by hospitals employing full-time surgical staff.
Major Hospital Savings
The financial losses hospitals are experiencing as a result of the pandemic are palpable, with the full effects remaining to be seen. One concern remains absolute — hospitals are in need of money-saving solutions through practices like outsourced surgical staffing programs.
According to J. Toby Gray, AP Health’s Chief Executive Officer, the “model for outsourced, team-based surgical care reduces our hospital partners’ costs and increases their flexibility. They can quickly scale their surgical and on-floor teams with the Advanced Practice Providers that AP Health recruits and manages.”
Without the need for recruiting and full-time salaries of credentialed staff, hospitals can save exponentially. The ripple effects of those savings allow hospitals to respond timely to the spikes in COVID-19 cases that have occurred in recent weeks, as well as the safe re-implementation of elective surgeries.
Flexibility
Hospitals who outsource surgical staff for perioperative care have much more flexibility in terms of financial resources, staffing possibilities, appropriately staffed surgical teams, and more.
Since the ban on non-urgent surgeries implemented in April, hospitals have lost about $161.4 billion. As state governors and hospitals work to re-instate elective surgeries and non-COVID-19 care, adaptability in resources is highly favorable.
With outsourced perioperative care, hospitals can increase their capacity for elective surgeries and COVID-19 patient care by allocating staff appropriately, without the pressure to furlough any full-time staff.
Streamlined scheduling and documentation
A key component of the patient care continuum is having a secure, streamlined way to report pertinent patient information on-site at hospitals. The communication between outsourced perioperative care professionals, surgeons, and hospital staff is crucial to a successful outsourced surgical assistant staffing program.
One such way AP Health enhances perioperative care is through the recently launched web and mobile application Logistix2.0. The app integrates with hospital scheduling systems where an AP Health practitioner is working surgical cases, allowing for a number of benefits.
The launch of Logistix2.0 eliminates the tediousness and errors caused by paper-based records. It provides all parties with a centralized document-of-record which can be updated in real-time. The document-of-record is used for practitioner scheduling, hospital and insurance billing, case coding, and more. Additionally, AP Health practitioners can easily record everything from time-in/out to surgery notes and insurance information, allowing them more time to focus on what matters: quality patient care.
Patient Care Satisfaction
From pre, intra, to postoperative, patient care satisfaction is of the utmost concern when it comes to perioperative services. The patient care continuum functions best with a surgical team who understands the in’s and out’s of their respective tasks and how each of their roles play into patient satisfaction.
Outsourcing perioperative services through providers like AP Health ensures the patient will be receiving care from board-certified and credentialed, skilled professionals dedicated to their clinical practice.
Because AP Health professionals are assigned to a particular surgeon’s team, they get to know the surgeon and the patient’s needs on a personal level. Everything from H&P’s to transitional care is treated with the same level of attention, increasing the likelihood of positive outcomes for both the team and the patient.
Efficiency for the Present and the Future
As COVID-19 cases continue to surge in the U.S., so does the uncertainty of what the future holds for the healthcare and hospital system.
The need for hospitals to increase their efficiency in budget-friendly ways remains, and the outsourcing of perioperative care through skilled surgical staffing programs is a viable solution.
Perioperative healthcare companies like AP Health assist hospitals by reducing recruiting and in-house staffing costs as well as administrative responsibilities, provide surgeons with much-needed resources and skilled team members, and assure satisfactory patient outcomes.