Minimum Training, Maximum Benefits: How Healthcare Institutions Can Optimize Employee-Patient Interactions

In the health industry, every second counts. 

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Each minute that passes could literally spell the difference between life or death, so there’s no room for error and no time for delays.

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Unfortunately though there are some time-consuming processes in the clinical environment that can be a drain on company resources. You need to remedy the sticking points and bottlenecks within these processes to streamline day-to-day operations.

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In this guide, we’ll explore how you can use data from employee monitoring software to stay on top of employee-patient interactions and supercharge your systems for optimal efficiency. Plus, we’ll use the patient pre-admission process as a micro example of how you can optimize interactions on a macro level.

The Patient Pre-admission Process

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For healthcare institutions, the patient pre-admission process can be a money and time sink. The process, when it requires manual data entry on the patients’ part, is slow and cumbersome, and could be costing you valuable seconds and minutes.

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In the average pre-admission process, patients are obliged to fill out the following information:

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•  Personal and contact information
•  Health history 
•  Health insurance coverage

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Each of these points can cause confusion and require the patient to trawl through emails, personal documents, and more to find the necessary information. This contributes to the time-consuming nature of the pre-admission process, and to the headache of senior management at health institutions.

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So what’s the solution?

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For many health institutions, an agile approach is best for overcoming the challenges presented by manual information entry and patient pre-admission. A reluctance to adapt to new technology and software can exacerbate the issue, so it’s important to keep an open mind.

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Pre-registration is one solution that works, as it puts the task of entering patient information into the hands of health workers. This pre-registration process can be carried out over the phone, in-person, or online to save time. 

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However, assuming the responsibility for this data entry task only works if you have a dedicated team working around the clock. When this is the case, how can you be sure that the work is being done as efficiently as possible?

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The Data-driven Software Solution 

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While pre-registration is certainly a viable solution to the problem of slow patient pre-admission, it could still be refined for greater efficiency.

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In the modern age, data drives progress. If you aren’t relying on data to make important business decisions, then you’ll likely miss the mark with new initiatives and marketing campaigns.

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There’s a clear way to bring data to this common problem in healthcare institutions, and it comes in the form of employees time tracking software. This type of time tracking software for employees is designed to provide you with a thorough overview of how productive your employees are, based on the critical metric of time.

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An employee hour tracker tool like Insightful can transform the way you collect and use data at every level of your organization. 

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Time Analysis

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The first way using an online time tracking for employees can help you refine your pre-registration process is through the collection of time data.

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Employee timekeeping software provides you with a general overview of how your employees spend their time during work hours, as well as individual breakdowns. You can use this information to identify idle time and productive time.

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Time data allows you to spot trends before they become a major issue. For example, if you find that one employee consistently experiences a productivity slump around 11am, then you can set up a meeting to discuss the issue. Perhaps the reduced productivity is down to a technical issue, but maybe it’s related to employee wellbeing or burnout.

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When you call a meeting based on time data, you can get to the bottom of the issue with the individual in question. That way, you can address it accordingly, whether that means offering a flexible work schedule or social support.

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Performance Evaluation

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Employees time tracking software can also provide key insights into individual and team performance.

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Performance appraisals are a necessary part of any business, as they allow you to take stock of how an employee is coping with the work on their plate. In the healthcare industry, stress and burnout are more likely than in other industries, so it’s important to check-in regularly with employees.

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Employee time management software can inform your performance reviews, and allow you to make any necessary changes. For example, an agile organization might introduce personalized training initiatives to bolster the skillsets of their employees according to their individual strengths.

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Bottleneck Identification

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With any process, there’s the potential for bottlenecks to disrupt progress and throw you off track.

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When it comes to the pre-registration process, the bottleneck could be the effective collection of patient information. If you rely on phone calls, missed calls could slow down your efforts. If you rely on in-person meetings, a cancellation or late arrival can delay proceedings.

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You can use this information gathered from an employee hour tracker tool to develop innovative solutions. 

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Perhaps the solution is to develop a mobile app that streamlines the process of pre-registration for both healthcare workers and patients. The creation of an app can simplify the process of entering data, and make it possible for either patient or employee to tackle the task. This will minimize the risks of time-consuming bottlenecks.

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Though, of course, even with an innovative solution like a mobile app, you’ll still need employees time tracking software to better understand how efficient it is. Having access to time manager software data opens the door to data-driven decision-making; a cornerstone of any agile enterprise.

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Final Thoughts: How Healthcare Institutions Can Optimize Employee-Patient Interactions

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You can’t create exceptional workflows and processes in your healthcare institution without leaning on relevant data insights. Employee time management systems let you take control of your data, and track time effectively.

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Data management and visualization is key for establishing what bottlenecks could be preventing your business from running optimally. Employee hour tracker software can make the difference between slow pre-admission and rapid pre-registration.

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