Healthcare outsourcing serves medical facilities and patients alike in several aspects.
-
Allows primary care providers to concentrate on patients
Healthcare facilities that outsource time-consuming activities enable their in-house team to focus on providing patients with the quality care and treatment they deserve.
Moreover, with fewer tasks on their plate, medical care providers can protect themselves from work overload, making them less likely to experience stress and burnout that can significantly affect productivity and accuracy of diagnoses.
-
Helps reduce expenditures
Hospitals and clinics can cut operational costs by outsourcing back-end functions instead of hiring and training in-house employees. Those savings from outsourcing can then go to more critical ventures that improve patient-care quality, such as upgrading medical equipment and building additional hospital rooms.
Facilities can also use these extra resources to expand their service offerings when outsourcing administrative tasks.
-
Lessens the likelihood of costly mistakes
Healthcare insurance accountability standards and regulations can be tricky in certain locations. The right BPO partner can help a hospital ensure that it follows all requirements, is up to date on the latest legal guidelines, and prevents costly billing concerns brought about by data inaccuracy.
-
Allows facilities to employ industry experts
By collaborating with a reputable third-party service provider, a healthcare facility can add value to its organization. Outsourcing can provide hospitals access to experts with extensive medical backgrounds and impressive credentials like certifications and licenses. With a vast pool of talent to tap into, healthcare facilities can scale up and streamline their processes.
The Benefits of an In-house Healthcare Team
While outsourcing services can be advantageous, it’s not always the best practice for every healthcare provider. Of course, companies have different needs and requirements, so it’s crucial to conduct a thorough assessment. Comparing the benefits of outsourcing with the perks of having an in-house team can also help.
-
Less prone to data breaches
Although outsourcing data management can make the process more convenient and efficient, hacking and data breaches can be major concerns. These forms of cybercrime target records uploaded to and stored in a shared online network.
Moreover, while most telehealth visits use robust technology to protect private health information, no absolute safeguards exist yet to make databases hack-proof. Hence, hospitals cannot entirely eliminate the likelihood of unauthorized parties accessing patient records.
By comparison, when in-house staff organize and manage data internally, only authorized teams can access records while monitoring any required changes. As a result, the facility can protect its patients’ private data more effectively and mitigate security risks.
-
Data and technology standardization issues
Data standards cover medical protocols, methods, jargon, and specifications for gathering, encoding, storing, retrieving, and exchanging this information: payment records, medication prescriptions, medical histories, insurance information, and radiological images. Accordingly, the lack of established data standards in medical care poses many challenges for healthcare facilities.
Because healthcare settings have their own unique set of standards for processing information, exchanging data becomes more complex and challenging. This problem can worsen when a hospital outsources its administrative duties. The way BPO firms manage data is also not standardized, which can further complicate data transfer and result in inefficiencies, unreliability, or errors.
Furthermore, despite technological advances, there are still limited means to transfer data economically from one computer network to another. Plus, the third-party provider’s databases may be incompatible with the hospital’s receiving systems.
These limitations can prevent accurate information sharing between healthcare facilities and patients regarding medical records and between hospitals and insurance carriers regarding payment and reimbursement.
-
Limited functionalities for remote healthcare
Certain visits simply will not work from a distance. While telehealth allows patients to consult their primary care providers from any location, the service offerings may involve limitations. Physicians can see their patients over a screen but can’t conduct assessments that require physical contact, such as a breast exam or pulmonary function testing.
The hands-on parts of physical health evaluations have to be in person. Moreover, while a doctor could give orders for blood work or imaging tests, the patient would still have to visit the laboratory. Thus, the process is not entirely remote.
In addition, not everyone has access to mobile gadgets and the internet. Sudden connectivity issues or other technical errors can also interrupt an ongoing online consultation, which harms the convenience aspect of telehealth.
Most importantly, it can be challenging for physicians to connect with their patients through virtual visits. Communicating with a patient through an online screen differs significantly from a personal exam when it comes to building valuable connections.
Patients also tend to be more open and honest during face-to-face visits, especially when talking with a doctor for the first time. Online consultations are generally more effective and suitable only when the physician and the patient already know each other.
The Verdict: Outsourced vs. In-house Medical Team
Both outsourcing medical services and employing an in-house healthcare team offer great benefits for hospitals and clinics. The choice mainly boils down to the healthcare facility’s specific needs and operational requirements. Moreover, it’s essential to consider factors like the number of staff, the available technologies and equipment, and the volume of data the hospital typically deals with.
Naturally, if a hospital frequently encounters data security issues, delegating administrative duties to a third-party service provider may not be an intelligent choice. However, outsourcing back-end processes is obviously the more practical option for understaffed facilities.
Remember, overworked medical personnel may perform poorly, jeopardizing the health of many patients. Hence, it’s crucial to ensure that the in-house healthcare team doesn’t have more responsibilities than they can handle. Allocating tasks to a BPO firm when the workforce is limited will benefit not only the healthcare company but also its employees and patients.
In conclusion, the healthcare industry has undergone significant transformation to adapt to the changing demographics and challenges of the modern world. The COVID-19 pandemic, in particular, highlighted the need for greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness in healthcare delivery.