The process of medical coding is complex process. With the invention of computerized billing, the coding process has tremendously increased the stress of hospital care and Healthcare workers. The RCM medical coding company is gaining popularity because of the ease of working.
The main issue of staff shortage was first felt during the COVID pandemic. There was a huge stress on the healthcare workers. This shortage was not only limited to healthcare workers but also to other professionals also. As a result, the entire infrastructure of the institute had disturbances.
THE CRISIS
Generally, healthcare workers have to complete both activities of billing as well as quality care. This has led to a severe overburden on the staff, resulting in the primary reason for the shortage. The details of overburden are –
- Overburden/ Exhaustion – Healthcare workers have to perform multiple tasks. They have to provide quality care as well as look after the billing process as well. This leads to an excessive burden on the workers. There are also certain cases when the patients are not friendly. All these reasons have led to excessive mental stress on the staff, with most of them quitting their jobs permanently.
- Other opportunities – With healthcare workers facing the maximum risk of infection, most of them are just shifting to other safe jobs. Some healthcare workers have quit their job, just for moving along with their spouses.
- The pay scale – An important reason for healthcare workers to lose interest in their profession is because of the lower pay scale. The pay scale for healthcare workers is very low in comparison to other fields. Therefore, care workers are shifting to other for getting a competitive pay scale.
- Lack of new workforce – The current workers are getting aged. The incoming workers are not sufficient enough to fulfill all those vacancies. This leads to a burden on experienced workers. Also, the average age of the people is also increasing. Care for old people is very tricky. It is therefore essential for filling up vacancies for valance healthcare workers on time.
SOLUTIONS
The disparity of pay and the extra burden on healthcare workers requires immediate rectification. The different ways to overcome this solution are –
- Hiring more workers – Trying to hire new staff to overcome the shortage is the primary solution to the problem. In case of the non-availability of capable staff, hiring from foreign countries should be encouraged. This will help in lowering the load on the staff.
- Improving payment – Improving the pay scale to be in line with other fields. This will encourage more people to take up this profession. Also, workers contemplating leaving healthcare will get a motivation to continue in this field.
- Outsourcing – This is the best way to overcome all the issues of healthcare workers. There are numerous companies that provide outsourcing options for billing and RCM. This means the healthcare workers will only work on quality care. The billing and other administrative as well as billing process are completely taken care of by the outsourced company. This will not only relieve the workers but also improve patient care.
ADVANTAGES OF OUTSOURCED BILLING COMPANY
The outsourcing of the coding and billing processes provides numerous advantages to the healthcare institute. Some of them are –
- Focussing on quality healthcare –
When the company is taking care of the billing process, the workers can concentrate on providing quality care. This ensures that the patients are completely satisfied. The healthcare workers need not worry about billing or additional activities. Also outsourcing the billing process will lower any excess manpower on the campus. Thereby, improving the overall performance of the institute.
- Optimal operational costs –
Apart from lowering the burden on the staff, there is also a huge benefit for the healthcare institute. This is because the revenue flow becomes smooth. With minimal delays and errors, there are no problems in the billing process. Also, outsourcing to the billing company is a budget-friendly option. It is way better than hiring additional staff and supervising the billing process manually.
- Value-added services –
Additional services like identification of weak points in healthcare management. This provides an opportunity to work on those areas and improve the overall working of the institute. Improving weak areas of the institute improves the overall satisfactory index of the institute. This improves the patient feedback as well as the worker satisfaction too.
- Smooth revenue flow –
The coding and billing company concentrates completely on the finance process. This means that settlements are timely, with minimal delays. Also, there is minimal chance of errors in billing.
From the above, we see that outsourcing the coding and billing process lowers the burden on the workers. This also provides for a smooth revenue flow with minimal mistakes in the billing process. This includes minimal denial and lower cost-to-collect. This comes in as a complete package and helps in properly coping up with the shortage of staff. Also, when the load on the staff will be less, the attrition rate will also be less.
CONCLUSION
RCM medical coding company improves the overall satisfactory index of the healthcare institute. This not only means lowering the burden on the staff but also improving the overall revenue of the hospital.
This outsourcing is a big leap to proving quality care for patients. The lower burden on the workers will motivate more workers to take up this profession. The billing and coding company will be able to provide a smooth revenue flow for the institute.