At the onset of the pandemic, organizations had hoped to be able to keep their heads down for a few months,enact temporary remote work policies and procedures, then get back to “normal” work as quickly as possible. However, those months have turned into years. The truth is that we will probably never go back to the way things were before COVID-19. In fact, according to USA Today, “Nearly 50% of workers in the U.S. say they would take up to a 5% pay cut to continue to work remotely at least part-time post-pandemic.” Additionally, their survey found that nearly one quarter of employees would quit their jobs if they couldn’t work remotely.

The trend of remote and hybrid work transforming workplaces cuts through all industries, including healthcare. One area in particular – revenue cycle – had already been grappling with questions about how to implement automation and decentralized work in a safe and effective manner well before the pandemic. 

Remote Work and the Healthcare Revenue Cycle 

According to recent reporting from Chief Healthcare Executive, 75 percent of healthcare organizations plan to restructure their revenue cycle operations in response to the pandemic. Nearly one-third of organizations are looking to cement work-from-home opportunities for their staff permanently as part of those plans. 

This transition from traditional office settings to remote work environments has proven to be a challenge for healthcare employers. Not only do they need to consider ways to maintain productivity while implementing new tools and workflows, but they also need to consider team building strategies that cultivate a positive, lasting culture. 

Monitoring Productivity

Having the right tools to be successful is a major thing. Making sure your teams know exactly what is expected of them and how they are being evaluated in a remote environment is paramount. This includes ensuring that each team has specific goals, key performance indicators and attainable metrics to maintain. If your organization already has these parameters clearly defined, you have a leg up. If not, it’s past time to set benchmarks with top performers and leadership to ensure your organization has realistic expectations and attainable goals for your teams on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. 

Cultivating a Lasting Team Culture 

As the shift to remote and hybrid work escalates, culture remains a hot topic among organizations. Keeping that culture alie relies on growing teams with the right people and keeping communication clear throughout the process.

• Hiring the Right People: With today’s labor market being increasingly competitive, the first notion that employers usually have is thinking that previous work experience is the end-all-be-all of hiring qualifications. However, ensuring that you have the right people goes well beyond the black and white details of a resume. As remote work expands the hiring pool beyond traditional geographic limitations, having an understanding of soft skills and culture fit is becoming even more important. At Medix, we rely on the MyPrint soft skills assessment throughout the hiring and team management process to identify key personality, motivation and behavioral traits of individuals. 
• Communication: It’s sort of a paradox. Most leaders assumed that communication in a remote world would be easier; after all, nowadays you can just send a quick hat message or hop on to a video callzoom! Yet, the truth is that communication can still be a struggle in a remote world.. Depending on the size of your team, bi-weekly departmental meetings and check-ins for teammates with direct supervisors can help keep people on the same page. This is an opportunity to check in with your team, as well as see if there are any issues or situations that have popped up over the last few days. 

Is your team searching for healthcare solutions that enable you to build great teams no matter which type of workplace your team currently utilizes? Click here to learn more about Medix’s healthcare recruitment and staffing solutions – including our focus on optimizing revenue cycle. 

Craig Wenrick is the National Director of Revenue Cycle at Medix. Craig works with clients in the revenue cycle field to identify talent for short-term projects and solutions for long-term staffing challenges on their teams. When not at work, you can find Craig spending time with his family and watching any football game he can find on TV.