Your front office staff is on the front line of your entire medical practice. The front office is where administrative duties and patient care converge, which demands a high level of accuracy and attention to detail. In fact, your medical practice operations play a vital role in growing your healthcare facility and delivering a higher standard of excellence.

So why are healthcare practices struggling to maintain quality support staff? In a 2019 National Institutes of Health study, 53% of primary care support staff reported burnout, and 41% left their positions shortly after.

Some medical practices have solved this problem by outsourcing medical practice office operations.

By relying on a third-party provider for administration and practice management, you can improve the efficiency of your healthcare center while maintaining a superior standard of patient care. Here’s how.

The Dangers of a Front Office Shortage

A lack of qualified front office workers results in more than just disorganization. In a healthcare setting, your administrative personnel often serve as the initial contact between you and your patients. Problematic scheduling, billing, or communication can compromise the level of care they receive and may even send them looking for another service provider.

In addition, privacy and security concerns can creep in through an understaffed front office. A tier 1 HIPAA violation can result in fines of up to $50,000. Your practice or clinic may be exposed to considerable risk without a well-equipped operational staff.

Finally, gaps in your administrative support can create challenges for your healthcare providers resulting in confusion over equipment, scheduling, and other logistical issues. This can hurt your morale, diminishing the organizational effectiveness of your operation.

What Is the Role of a Remote Healthcare Administrator?

If the 2020 pandemic brought anything positive, it demonstrated that remote work is possible. Many industries are discovering that remote or hybrid workers are happier and more productive, and advances in communications technology have made it easy for teams to collaborate.

Even medical practice office operations can benefit from a remote front office setup, with administrative staff assisting in areas such as:

• Revenue analytics

• Benefits verification

• Referral management

• Medical authorizations

• Appointment scheduling

• Patient management and communication

All in all, a remote administrative team can provide the same level of care as an in-person team. They can supplement — or replace — large portions of your administrative support staff so that your clinic can focus on what truly matters: caring for each of your valued patients.

Benefits of Outsourcing Medical Practice Office Operations

Outsourcing your front office responsibilities may sound like a big step, and it is. But it’s also a decision that pays big dividends. Healthcare facilities that outsource their medical practice office operations typically experience the following benefits.

Lower Operational Costs

According to the latest healthcare data, medical centers are spending $496 billion on administrative costs. Some of these costs are tied up in regulatory fees and the cost of programs like Medicare, but others include the expense of full-time office staff.

While salaries for your outsourced office staff won’t necessarily be less than those for in-person employees, you’ll save on costs for things like:

• Office space

• Break rooms

• Administrative equipment

Consider that in 2018, the average cost of office space in the United States was $34 per square foot. A small work area and break room can quickly affect your operational costs, especially if you have multiple employees.

Outsourcing your medical practice office operations eliminates the need for these additional costs, which can help small to midsize practices better manage their money or reallocate funds to medical equipment or services that will improve patient flow.

More Physical Space

Eliminating excess office space and equipment won’t just save you on administrative costs. You can also use the space you save in ways that add value to your practice.

Depending on the physical layout of your healthcare facility, you can reallocate your front office space in ways that allow you to:

• Add diagnostic equipment

• Renovate your waiting area

• Store supplies and equipment

• Add patient examination/treatment rooms

Pediatric facilities, for example, might consider using the additional space to create a family-friendly waiting area so that patients feel more comfortable.

Greater Operational Efficiency

A third-party provider can put your healthcare practice in the hands of knowledgeable, well-trained support staff. This means you won’t have to worry about a delay in efficiency while new hires are brought up to speed.

An outsourced firm will typically provide their employees ample support so that your remote staff stays up-to-date with regulatory issues and industry best practices.

Additionally, outsourcing your needs to a remote provider can eliminate the turnover currently plaguing the healthcare industry.

While it’s still possible for remote employees to come and go, the outsourcing agency will ensure that your practice always has access to employees who are trained and ready, eliminating staffing gaps that can create setbacks in your practice.

Higher Productivity

Many business leaders are surprised to discover that remote workers are more productive than in-house teams. For example, a nine-month Stanford study revealed that employees were 13% more productive when working remotely.

When it comes to medical practice office operations, outsourcing to a company that specializes in your industry can also significantly boost productivity.

For example, a third-party firm such as Edge can connect you to administrative personnel who are familiar with the procedures and challenges of the medical industry and can provide solutions that meet the unique demands of your practice.

Improved Patient Care

Think about all the work that goes into running a typical medical practice. While medicine might be your core focus, your healthcare practices are supported by various administrative and technical needs.

Without a fully functioning front office staff, many of these needs spill into the laps of your healthcare providers. An inefficient administrative system might slow down patient communication, create snags in scheduling, or delay the reporting of lab results that keep your patients informed about their healthcare journey.

Outsourcing your front office needs lifts these administrative burdens from the shoulders of doctors and healthcare providers, allowing them to remain focused on patient care. Your patients will appreciate the rapport they develop with providers who are not distracted by paperwork or other administrative duties.

Larger Hiring Pool

Small to midsize medical practices can face challenges when maintaining a fully staffed office. This is especially true of medical practices that operate in smaller geographic regions or occupy a niche within the medical community.

Hiring in-person staff requires you to focus on one geographic region. But if you implement remote support staff, your hiring pool can be nationwide or even international.

By expanding your hiring pool, you’ll find it easier to connect with candidates with the skills your practice requires without having to wade through a stack of résumés and cover letters.

Given the U.S. talent shortage in the healthcare industry, it can be advantageous to pursue international candidates. Outsourcing firms like Edge can ensure that candidates are thoroughly vetted and understand the needs of U.S.-based healthcare providers.

Faster Hiring Process

Outsourcing can also accelerate your hiring and onboarding process. With a larger talent pool to draw from, it will take less time to gather applications from qualified candidates.

Using a third-party outsourcing provider will spare you the time and labor involved in posting job requests on career or professional boards, allowing you to fill positions more efficiently than ever.

With the right outsourcing partner, the onboarding process will be smoother as well. The best outsourcing agencies handle the administrative details of the hiring process, which extends to:

• Employee screening

• Tech support

• Equipment

• Training

• Benefits

• Payroll

This means that your medical practice will never have to worry about managing the details of your front office staff, providing a simple, reliable solution for your administrative needs.

Access to Industry Expertise

Good help is hard to find, but it doesn’t have to be. Outsourcing your administrative processes to a remote team can give you access to industry-leading expertise and advanced knowledge.

In fact, the most effective outsourcing firms will provide in-house training for remote employees so that you can remain confident that you’re relying on the best support available.

This means you can be confident that you’re staffing your medical practice with the best. You may even discover that your remote team brings more knowledge and experience than an in-house administrative team.

The additional skill sets can make your medical practice more efficient and keep you flexible as you work to improve and expand your office operations.

Affordable Scalability

Every business owner dreams of growing their company. A medical facility should be no different, and as your practice grows, the community will benefit from greater access to reliable, affordable medical services.

To manage growth, you’ll need the right support system. Since your front office is heavily involved in patient scheduling and management, outsourcing to a team of administrative specialists ensures you have the resources to handle higher patient volume while using your facilities and equipment efficiently.

The same outsourcing firm that provides your existing remote workforce can also augment your team with additional personnel on an as-needed basis. This makes it easier — and faster — to scale your team, all while ensuring that your medical providers remain focused on delivering high-quality patient care daily.

Lower Environmental Impact

Most Americans are eager to support environmentally conscious businesses, including the medical facilities they use. But how do medical practice office operations help you reduce your environmental impact?

For starters, a remote team minimizes the pollution produced during a daily commute. Outsourcing your front office services allows you to reduce your overall carbon footprint, which greatly matters to many people today.

Furthermore, remote teams rely heavily on cloud-based technologies to upload and share documents. This eliminates the need for large amounts of wasteful paperwork.

Combined, these advantages make for a valuable selling point when advertising your services to new patients. Younger adults may particularly appreciate a medical provider who shares their values, which can further help you build rapport with your community.

Questions to Ask Before Outsourcing

With so many benefits, outsourcing your medical practice office operations is natural. But before you commit to an outsourcing company, consider some of the following questions.

What Is the Provider’s Track Record?

Make sure your remote team offers the services you need and possesses the knowledge and expertise to address your practice’s most pressing issues.

What Is the Cost?

A significant goal of outsourcing is to save time and money. Choose an outsourcing provider that fits your budget and streamlines the process to ensure that your team is ready to go when needed.

Who Handles Payroll and Administration?

The best outsourcing providers handle their payroll and administration. For the smoothest possible experience, partner with a provider who can oversee these tasks so that you and your staff get the full benefit of a remote team.

Who Provides the Training and Equipment?

By outsourcing, you will save the time it takes to hire, onboard, and train your staff. But that’s only true if you partner with the right provider. Ensure you find an outsourcing partner who provides training, equipment, tech support, and other administrative needs.

The Right Team Makes All the Difference

Medical practice office operations can be enhanced and streamlined through remote teams. Remote work has already been shown to increase productivity in U.S. workplaces; the right team can help your medical providers stay focused on patient care.

And with the efficiency of a remote workforce, you’ll be better equipped to scale your business, expand the medical services you offer your community, and ensure greater patient satisfaction.