In the ever-evolving health care landscape, hospitals are increasingly turning to outsourcing as a strategic move to optimize operations, enhance patient care and achieve financial sustainability. In a Managed Healthcare Executive article, Cheryl Dalton-Norman, president of Conduit Health Partners, shares her expertise on embracing outsourcing for enhanced patient care and operational excellence.
The Surge of Outsourcing in Health Care
The global hospital outsourcing market is projected to experience significant growth, with estimations pointing towards a compound annual growth rate of 14.4%, taking it from $375.1 billion in 2023 to an impressive $612.24 billion by 2027, according to Research and Markets. North America leads the way in this market, with the United States being a hotbed of outsourcing activities in the health care sector.
Outsourcing in health care spans a spectrum, covering both clinical and nonclinical services. From patient transfers to medical billing and coding, hospitals evaluate various functions to determine which can be outsourced effectively.
Clinical Services: Rethinking Patient Care Delivery
The shortage of nursing staff continues to challenge hospitals, prompting them to explore innovative solutions to deliver care effectively. The Managed Healthcare Executive article shares that outsourcing clinical functions has taken on new forms, such as hospital-at-home programs and virtual command centers. These approaches address the shortage of nurses and embrace the changing dynamics of patient care, emphasizing remote and virtual care delivery models.
By centralizing transfer services and offering virtual triage, Conduit has helped hospitals better manage patient flow and tapped into the benefits of remote nursing, particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Triage calls quadrupled within days during the pandemic,” says Cheryl. “We take the work off the shoulders of the people delivering the care in the hospital. That’s where we saw a lot of value, particularly during COVID.”
After the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an exodus of bedside nurses, so it helped to outsource nonbedside roles and shift some care to be delivered virtually. Although health systems have difficulty recruiting nurses, Cheryl says Conduit does not because we can work from home and recruit nationally, with nurses licensed in 47 states and Washington, D.C.
This approach demonstrates that outsourcing can alleviate staffing challenges while maintaining a high patient care standard.
Navigating the Challenges and Opportunities
As hospitals grapple with the complexities of modern health care, outsourcing emerges as a strategy to streamline operations, elevate patient care, and achieve financial sustainability.
Contact Conduit to uncover the potential of outsourcing in the ever-evolving health care landscape.