Healthcare Services

It is understandable that every healthcare facility is looking to turn a profit. Without that extra sum above and beyond the cost of operating your clinic, residential facility or hospital, you wouldn’t have anything left over to keep up with the latest technology or to set aside should any necessary piece of equipment break down beyond repair.

However, in an effort to cut costs, many healthcare facilities have stopped contracting services that were once considered essential. Perhaps it’s time to invest a little into your day-to-day operations in order to achieve that growth you are looking for.

Here are three professional services every healthcare facility really needs to contract.

#1. Infection Control Consultant

Even the general public knows that some diseases like MRSA are spread more often in hospitals and doctors’ offices than through casual contact within the general population. These ‘bugs’ could easily be controlled, if not eradicated, by contracting a knowledgeable Infection Control Consultant. While the staff understands the concepts of sanitation and sterilization, are they doing it correctly? Could just one step in their daily routine be the missing link and the underlying cause of why your facility may be spreading germs unknowingly? You are in the business of saving lives and disease prevention falls within that realm. If you haven’t done so recently, it’s time to contract an expert to make a thorough analysis and work with your team to ensure you are doing your part to stop the spread of infectious diseases.

#2. Medical Billing

Unless you are the director of a large hospital, chances are that you don’t have a dedicated medical billing professional on the payroll. Many doctors offices and clinics rely on office staff to code and bill patients and insurance companies and this is how so many costly mistakes are made.

Not only are overworked office employees more apt to make mistakes when tending to a million and one other duties, but they simply don’t have the time to follow up on bills that aren’t getting paid. It just might be more profitable to hire a professional medical billing service.

#3. Answering Service

Gone are the days when a patient or caregiver could call their doctor after hours and talk to a real person. Yes, there is something to be said for automated telecom systems that route the patient to the appropriate party or answering machine at the touch of a button on the DTMF pad but a patient in crisis may not be in a right frame of mind to push the right button!

Why not combine that system with the ability to reach a live person at an answering service who has the training to know whether or not the doctor should be paged? This is a service your patients will truly appreciate and when it comes to growing your practice, word of mouth spreads quicker than germs!

We are living in an age where customer engagement is a necessary component of business growth and if you think your healthcare facility isn’t a business, think again. Those patients are your customers, consumers who keep your doors open day after day, year after year. Keep them healthy and engaged and you will have that lucrative practice you’ve worked so hard to achieve.