ASCs nationwide are finding it more difficult and expensive to recruit
and retain staff. According to a December 2021
survey on ASC staff shortages performed by ASCA, more than three out of every
four respondents indicated they were experiencing shortages. The most
frequently cited reasons included staff leaving for higher paying jobs,
burnout, and an ASC's inability to bring back staff who were let go
during the pandemic. Myriad factors are also making it more time-consuming
and expensive to add and keep qualified staff. One solution that's
helping a growing number of centers combat these challenges — while
improving their financial performance — is outsourcing their ASC billing.
Here are four of the ways ASCs are benefitting from outsourcing their revenue
cycle management as they work to navigate staffing issues.
1. Improved clinical recruitment
When ASCs outsource their billing, administrative leaders can shift the
time and resources they were allocating toward filling and retaining these
business office positions to tackling clinical recruitment challenges.
ASC leadership will now have more time and resources available to perform
clinical staff outreach and recruitment, which should help ASCs more effectively
find and add the competent staff they need.
In addition, money saved by reducing the number of salaried business office
employees can go toward offering higher starting salaries and benefits
to their remaining employees. With better recruitment comes the ability
to maintain a more consistent staffing schedule. This will, in turn, serve
as an appealing quality for clinical staff weighing where to take their
next position. Maintaining consistent staffing also helps ASCs reduce
their spend on overtime and PRN staff.
2. Strengthened clinical retention
Clinical retention can improve when ASCs outsource their billing. As clinical
staff recruitment improves, current staff benefit as well. More optimized
clinical staffing levels can reduce burnout associated with overtime and
the pressure to juggle multiple positions. Patients are likely to have
a more positive ASC experience when staff are focused and energized.
In addition, when ASCs achieve optimal scheduling, staff members have more
time available to pursue training and education. This can help improve
their skills while also growing appreciation for their employer.
3. Bolstered business office staffing
Depending upon how much of its billing and revenue cycle operations an
ASC outsources, the center will still need at least some office staffing.
As with clinical recruitment and retention, time and resources saved via
ASC billing outsourcing can be allocated toward filling office positions
and better ensuring these staff remain satisfied with their role and work.
4. Ability to pursue growth opportunities
An ASC that keeps busy caring for patients is a center that's more
likely to remain financially viable and profitable. Such successful ASCs
tend to have better fortune with adding and retaining staff as they can
usually offer regular salary increases and bonuses, invest in initiatives
that enhance staff satisfaction, and reduce staff concerns about the longevity
of the business and their positions.
Outsourcing ASC billing frees up time, resources, and administrative bandwidth
to pursue the types of growth opportunities that help a center thrive
and remain competitive. Depending on the ASC's situation, such efforts
can be anything from recruiting new physicians and adding capital equipment
that supports new procedures to making technology investments that enhance
staff performance and improve patient engagement.
Appreciating the Value of Outsourcing Your ASC Revenue Cycle
For most ASCs, the motivating factor for outsourcing their revenue cycle
management likely concerns their financial performance. Outsourcing is
a proven way to boost an ASC's bottom line. But as discussed above,
it's also an effective way to help overcome some of the top challenges
facing ASCs today, including those associated with staff recruitment and
retention.
Outsourcing billing can deliver even more substantial benefits that go
beyond these areas. Learn about some of the ways the right billing company
partner can help your ASC that go beyond the bottom line in
this new e-book.