What Does Stronger Economy Mean for Healthcare?

As 2010 winds to a close, it looks like the U.S. economy is finally picking up steam. Recent reports from the U.S. Labor Department, economic analysts and national payroll processor ADP all point to a strong upturn in the job market this fall. For instance, ADP reported a jump of 93,000 new private sector jobs in November, the largest gain in three years. That increase included 79,000 service jobs – including healthcare services.

What does this turnaround on the jobs front mean for the U.S. healthcare industry? One of the most important changes will be an increased competition for administrative, professional and clerical talent.  Many dedicated, hard-working individuals have been attracted to the healthcare sector in recent years because of its perceived job security and stability. While most of these employees will stay in their current positions, others may seek “greener pastures” as the economic recovery moves into business services, financial, real estate and other sectors. Therefore, healthcare organizations can expect to experience slightly higher turnover rates in the coming years.

As the nation’s employment picture gradually improves, there will also be increased competition for new hires. It will become increasingly important for healthcare organizations to enhance their recruitment strategies in order to attract top candidates. Then, those candidates must be carefully screened, tested and interviewed to be sure they are a good match for that position. In working with healthcare clients for more than 20 years, All Medical Personnel believes that effective staffing partnerships are one of the best ways to recruit and screen highly qualified candidates, allowing organizations to focus on their core businesses.  Those partnerships will become even more important in a growing national marketplace.

A Solution to the HR Training Dilemma

What’s the biggest concern for HR managers today?  A number of independent studies put training and development first on the list. A recent study showed that professionals of all ages value ongoing education, while another found training was the biggest issue, followed by retaining top performers and recruiting new talent.

Healthcare organizations also recognize the need for career training and professional development, as physicians, nurses, therapists, laboratory technicians and other personnel seek to improve their skills and broaden their horizons. Advances in medical treatments, surgical techniques, laboratory testing, electronic medical records (EMR) and communications technology are among the many reasons that ongoing training is essential for today’s healthcare professionals. However, many HR managers face a dilemma: “How can I spare a professional who provides critical services for several days of off-site training at a time when demand for our services is rising?”

Fortunately, there is a simple answer to that problem. Bring in a temporary employee to provide those day-to-day services while the physician, nurse or other professional is learning new career skills.  That’s a win-win solution that benefits both the healthcare organization and the individual professional, without disrupting care to patients or clients.  Based on our 20+ years of experience in healthcare staffing, this is a highly effective solution for the HR training and development dilemma.

How Will EMRs Change Healthcare Staffing?

With the staunch support of federal policymakers, electronic medical records (EMRs) are on their way. In the next two years, the U.S. government will be paying out billions of dollars to healthcare organizations to integrate their current medical record systems, which in many cases now include both paper and paperless applications.  There is no question that EMRs offer benefits to the physician who will be able to get a convenient, comprehensive view the patient’s medical history. It will also mean greater portability. For instance, when a primary care physician makes a referral to a specialist, it will be easier to send the patient’s chart, lab reports, radiology scans and other information to the specialist.

However, the move to EMR will be expensive for healthcare organizations. Forrester Research expects spending to reach $50 billion in the U.S. health-information market over the next two years. Most of the cost will be one-time capital investments in new hardware, applications and networking technology. That includes the time and expense of digitizing paper records. But money will also be needed to train both medical and non-medical staffers in new policies and procedures.

In addition, solo practitioners, physician groups, hospitals and other providers may find it necessary to engage healthcare staffing firms to handle the increased workload during the transition period. From our perspective, it makes sense to treat the conversion to EMRs as a short-term project with appropriate staffing.  That allows the work to be done close at hand under the organization’s direct supervision.  All Medical Personnel stands ready to assist our clients in this process.

Delivering Remote Healthcare Services

Advances in technology are creating new opportunities for North American healthcare organizations to meet growing consumer demand services in a cost-effective manner.  Digital videoconferencing services now allow specialists to “examine” patients in remote locations with the assistance of an on-site nurse or PA. Digital radiographic reports can be sent anywhere in the world with the click of a mouse. Within a few years, physicians will be able to easily review a patient’s electronic medical or health record (EMR or EHR) from office, home or hotel room.

One of the more intriguing recent developments in technology is the mobile robot – a communications device that can be operated by a professional in a remote location. In May, a California company called Anybots unveiled its QB telepresence robot, which resembles a two-wheeled Segway vehicle with a stylized “head.” It’s actually a videoconference system on wheels.  “We wanted to create a technology that allows remote workers to collaborate more fully and feel part of the team,” said company founder and CEO Trevor Blackwell in an interview at the time.

Certainly, the healthcare industry could use a mobile videoconference system in a number of ways to improve service delivery and staffing efficiency. For instance, a physician could move the robot around for 360-degree look at an injured or comatose patient in the examination room. The device could also be moved out of the patient’s hearing for a confidential discussion with healthcare personnel on site. Academic medical centers could “rent” two-way robots to physicians who want to participate in grand rounds, but cannot be physically present.  And healthcare providers, office managers and supervisors could attend staff meetings at satellite offices without the need for travel time.  And those are just a few of the applications that may become possible in the next decade.

Why Clients Appreciate Consistent Service

Picture this scenario: On Monday morning you stop by your favorite coffee store and are handed a latte with only one shot of espresso. On Tuesday, you go back only to be given a drink with two shots, but too much milk. On Wednesday, the server makes your latte with soy milk by mistake. By the end of the week, you drive right past the store and get your morning coffee from a new store.

That’s a good example of why customers hate inconsistent service. From a local restaurant to a national healthcare staffing provider – and for all types of businesses in between – consistency is one of the hallmarks of success.

Certainly, one of the biggest headaches for large-scale healthcare organizations is dealing with a variety of small staffing firms in different geographic locations. Why? These firms may use different technology, provide different reports, and screen candidates using different criteria. The result: inconsistent service that makes it hard to determine the real cost or benefits.

In contrast, All Medical Personnel has adopted a regional staffing model. Drawing on the success of our Dallas operation, we recently turned our Hollywood, Florida, office into a service hub for the East Coast and beyond.  In this way, we can better deliver reliable, accountable service, improve our responsiveness and leverage our internal recruiting resources to match staffing demands.

As strong, national company, our goal is to continue to provide the highest level of consistent service to our clients. Let us know how we’re doing!

Serving All Healthcare Organizations

For more than 20 years, All Medical Personnel has provided professional, technical, administrative and clerical staffing services to some of the nation’s largest healthcare organizations.  Our team also takes a great deal of pride in delivering the same high caliber of service to smaller clients, including individual physicians and physician groups,  community hospitals, therapists and ancillary service providers.

Whether your healthcare organization has one location or multiple facilities, it’s essential to have a consistent approach to staffing. That means screening each candidate to be sure that he or she has the proper credentials and training. It also means orienting the candidate, and ensuring the employee understands his or her role, as well as the organization clinical and business priorities. This can be a time-consuming process for internal HR staffers who must multitask every minute of the day.

In that regard, All Medical Personnel can relieve these organizational stresses by recruiting, screening, qualifying and training job candidates. In that way, our dedicated healthcare staffing firm becomes a valued extension of the HR department, regardless of the size of client.  If you would like to learn more about our healthcare staffing services, please click here.

Are You the Ideal Healthcare Employee?

When a healthcare organization considers hiring a new employee, what are the most important factors for the HR team?

Based on All Medical Personnel’s more than 20 years of experience in healthcare staffing, here are the key attributes for a job candidate:

• Training and education. From physicians to nurses to laboratory personnel, a healthcare employee is expected to have completed a specific educational program and built a solid core of job-related skills.

• Experience. A candidate who is already working in the healthcare field is likely to have an edge over a newcomer, all other qualities being equal. That’s because it typically takes less time to orient an experienced candidate to the specific requirements of the job.

• Compliance. A new employee must meet demonstrate compliance with specific regulatory standards. That’s why All Medical Personnel carefully screens candidates to be sure they hold appropriate credentials, and provides additional training, if necessary, on topics like safe practices in a healthcare setting.

• Attitude. For most recruiters, attitude is perhaps even more important than education, training and experience. Is the candidate an upbeat, positive and friendly person filled with energy who will be a real asset to the organization? Or is the applicant a pessimist or deadbeat who would like to coast through the day?

• A team player. In any healthcare organization, services are delivered by a multidisciplinary team, where everyone plays a complementary role. The ideal candidate will understand how his or her role fits in with the entire team.

So, if you are a job candidate seeking a position in healthcare, this list can provide a benchmark for measuring how close you come to the ideal.

For more information on All Medical Personnel’s current healthcare staffing positions, click here.

With the Fourth of July just a couple of weeks away, now is an ideal time for healthcare organizations to re-assess their summer staffing plans. After all, fireworks should be enjoyed outdoors – not inside the office!

Among the key questions to ask: Is there an adequate level of fill-in coverage when your employees go on their vacations? Has there been any change in demand for your organization’s patient-related services?

Many hospitals, physician groups, laboratories and other healthcare service providers find it a challenge to anticipate their summer staffing requirements – particularly in prime vacation destinations.  An unexpected influx of visitors to a beach or mountain resort can create a spike in demand for services, for example.

That’s why All Medical Personnel, as a national leader in healthcare staffing services, works closely with its clients to review their immediate, seasonal and long-term requirements. If conditions change unexpectedly, our team can respond quickly, helping you continue to meet your patient or client service objectives.

Based on our two decades of experience, summer staffing for North American healthcare organizations is both an art and a science.  Advance planning is essential to prepare a solid foundation. Then, those plans may need to be adjusted as the summer season rolls along. In both cases, All Medical Personnel is ready to assist with your temporary or project-related staffing needs.