Enhancing Patient Care: The Benefits of Outsourcing Hospice and Home Health After-Hours Triage
Patient Satisfaction & Engagement
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Providing continuous patient support, especially during critical moments, is paramount as the hospice and home health industries edge ever closer to more value-based care. One innovative approach to ensuring seamless care is outsourcing after-hours triage services. By entrusting this crucial responsibility to specialized triage providers, hospice and home health agencies can elevate the quality of patient care and streamline their operations.
Understanding Outsourced Triage
Outsourced triage involves assessing patients’ needs and determining the appropriate level of care during times when the hospice or home health provider team is unavailable. This service is often used as an on-call staff solution during evenings, weekends, and holidays, addressing urgent situations promptly. In hospice and home health settings, where patients often have complex medical conditions, efficient outsourced triage is essential to prevent unnecessary emergency room visits and hospitalizations. Some providers choose to outsource these services 24/7 to allow clinical staff the ability to be more present at the bedside.
Benefits of Outsourcing After-Hours Triage
24/7 Availability: Outsourcing after-hours triage ensures that hat patients and caregivers can access medical guidance and assistance around the clock. This availability enhances patient satisfaction and peace of mind, knowing that help is just a phone call away.
Expertise and Specialization: Dedicated outsourced nurse-based triage providers employ licensed nurses who specialize in assessing patient conditions remotely. These experts can evaluate and address patients and provide appropriate recommendations and support, such as ordering equipment, refilling medications, and many other tasks.
Resource Optimization: By outsourcing after-hours triage, hospice and home health agencies can optimize their internal resources. Instead of burdening on-call staff with constant availability, they can allocate their resources more efficiently, reducing burnout and improving staff satisfaction.
Reduced Costs: Well-managed after-hours triage can decrease unnecessary emergency room visits and hospitalizations. This reduction enhances patient comfort and leads to substantial cost savings.
Enhanced Care Coordination: Outsourced after-hours triage providers can seamlessly communicate with the patient’s provider team. This ensures that vital information is shared and continuity of care is maintained, leading to more effective treatment plans. At IntellaTriage, our triage nurses document directly in the EMR and utilize our proprietary platform, IntellaHub, to communicate with the appropriate clinical teams.
Scalability: As patient numbers fluctuate, outsourced services can easily and quickly scale to accommodate increased call volumes during peak times. This flexibility guarantees that no patient is left waiting for support.
Compliance and Quality: Reputable outsourcing providers adhere to provider protocols to ensure quality care. IntellaTriage works closely with provider partners to tailor processes to their protocols, a commitment to quality care that ensures patients receive consistent and appropriate advice regardless of the time of day.
Conclusion
Outsourcing after-hours triage services for hospice and home health care represents a significant advancement in patient care. By harnessing the expertise of specialized nurse-first triage, agencies can provide continuous patient support, enhance care quality, and optimize resource allocation. Ultimately, this approach benefits patients and their families and contributes to the overall efficiency and success of hospice and home health operations.
At IntellaTriage, we tailor after-hours solutions to meet the needs of your facility, staff, and patients. All calls are answered in an average of 60 seconds or less by a nurse with hospice field experience. Our approach is purposefully unique. We believe patients and caregivers should speak to an experienced, licensed nurse anytime – day or night. As an extension of your team, your patients receive the highest quality of care around the clock. The end result is improved patient satisfaction, reduced nurse burnout and staff turnover, and boosted bottom line.
