Short-staffed for the long term

This report, based on a survey of 200 healthcare employees responsible for staffing the revenue cycle function at healthcare providers, examined the long-standing, chronic shortage of non-clinical staff within the healthcare vertical and its impact on the revenue cycle and patient engagement.

Preparing claims correctly and modifying and resubmitting claims in the case of denials require a significant amount of time. Staffing shortages are leaving this work to be managed by fewer individuals, resulting in reduced productivity and increased risk of errors – and revenue loss.

Similarly, in most provider operations, patient intake suffers significantly from staffing shortages, affecting both employees and the patients they serve, leading to negative reputational impacts and compromised performance in patient collections.

The situation was concerning prior to the pandemic; it is now unsustainable for a significant number of providers, particularly as this report shows the most common ways to address the issue rely on increased labor costs. Turnover, hiring, and training staff are constant for these organizations, without an end in sight.

Sample findings:

• 100% of respondents indicated that staffing shortages have impacted revenue cycle management and/or patient engagement efforts.
• 96% of respondents indicated that payer reimbursements, patient collections - or both -- were impacted by staff shortages.
• More than 8 out of 10 respondents say the patient experience is worse due to staffing shortages.
• 92% of respondents say new staff members make errors that negatively affect claims.

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