There is little argument that 2020 upended the way many of us traditionally view work.
One industry under particularly new pressures was the medical field and it has adapted because of it.
While telework and telemedicine aren’t radically new concepts, they were often hampered by regulatory red tape and bureaucratic inertia.
That has all changed as the demand for safe, effective health services is higher now than ever before – and shows no signs of slowing down.
In fact, there is further evidence that the current system will have to do more with less for quite some time as human resources in the healthcare industry are stretched beyond their breaking point in some areas.
Given this climate, more nurse practitioners are embracing telework and improving patient care as well as their own lives as a result.
As many articles often focus on system-wide benefits to telework, we’re going to tell you about four of the less-talked-about benefits for nurse practitioners that embrace telework:
Time and Resource Efficiency
The best advantage for nurse practitioners when it comes to teleworking is that time and resources are more efficiently used due to the elimination of most barriers to on-time service and scheduling. Imagine a world where schedules actually make sense and people adhere to them in a consistent way. From consultations to reporting and staff meetings, every process that drains hours during the day is systematized and codified into a format workable for everyone.
Increased Capacity to See Patients
Because of the efficiency of scheduling and time management, nurse practitioners can see more patients on average than a traditional nurse. This not only translates into more patients gaining access to the healthcare system but also improves your ability to take on patients in an effective manner. Healthcare, like so many things, is a business and telework helps you scale your ability to meet as many patients as you can possibly provide with expert care.
Optimized Costs
From a reduced physical footprint to the elimination of efficiency-killing practices, telework increases margins for nurse practitioners and healthcare systems while delivering the same quality of care to patients at the end of the day. This provides both sides of the aisle with better-managed resources and healthcare outcomes.
Reduced Patient Call-Outs and No-Shows
One of the single largest drains on any practice is when a patient, for whatever reason, cannot adhere to an appointment. Telework not only eliminates geographic barriers to treating patients, but it also eliminates travel time and the expenses associated with going back and forth to healthcare appointments. This results in improved outcomes for patients and reduced call-outs and no-shows for health care practitioners. Again, there is only so much time in a day and nurse practitioners have to make the most out of it in order to both provide needed care to patients as well as make a living. Reducing this revenue-draining aspect of running a healthcare business is no small feat.