Outsourced Triage – A Lifeline for Overburdened Hospice and Home Health Nurses

But times have changed. Outsourced triage done right isn’t just a backup plan—it’s a strategic advantage for nurse retention.

Why is Outsourced Triage the Answer?

1. The staffing shortage is here to stay. Currently there is a deficit of nearly 300,000 clinicians nationwide. In the 2025 Hospice News Outlook Survey, hospice operators cited staffing as the greatest challenge to the industry (results returned staffing as the highest concern overall, 35% outweighing the next topic by 14%).  Outsourcing triage improves staff satisfaction and operational efficiencies, by allowing nurses to rest when they are off and enabling agencies to staff at appropriate resource levels.
2. Nurse burnout has similar staying power. Studies show that almost two-thirds of nurses report experiencing burnout. Workload and staffing ratios are among the top 10 reasons nurses leave organizations. Even worse, burnout can be cyclical: burnout leads to staff shortages and staff shortages lead to burnout. An outsourced triage team can address a large percentage of your organization’s after-hours patient calls, allowing your on-call staff to gain much-needed rest and recuperation.
3. Turnover is expensive. The cost of replacing a home health or hospice nurse ranges from $56,000-$70,000 (one California study reported $100,000 to replace a home health nurse). Reimbursement rates, Medicare Advantage, regulations, and pain old inflation are tightening the operating margins for many agencies. Outsourcing triage helps protect clinicians’ work/life balance, improving both job satisfaction and retention rates.
4. Direct connection between nurse staffing levels and patient care. The increased burden of understaffing on nurses also increases burnout and reduces quality care. CMS has strengthened its focus on the patient experience and quality care, including key quality measures in the ratings for both home health and hospice organizations. Now agencies must pivot to bridge the divide between lack of staff and patient needs. Outsourced triage delivers nurse-first triage designed to enhance the patient experience, improve quality outcomes, and reduce unnecessary hospital visits while reducing burnout.

What’s Changed? The New Era of Nurse-First Triage

Today’s leading triage providers (hint: that’s us at IntellaTriage) are nothing like the outdated model of call-center or old-school triage outsourcing. Here’s what makes the difference:

• Reduced Burnout & Higher Retention – A recent study found that grief, stress, and relentless on-call hours are exacerbating the ongoing nursing shortage. Eliminating those after-hours disruptions makes agencies a far more attractive place to work.
• Improved Patient Satisfaction – With a faster speed-to-nurse access, patients don’t wait. Field nurses don’t wake up unnecessarily. Everyone wins.
• Nurse-First Approach – A licensed, trained, experienced hospice or home health nurse answers every call. No call center reps, no non-clinical middlemen. Just expert, compassionate care from the start.
• Supportive Technology – Innovative nurse-first triage providers have sophisticated dashboards to collect and report data on triage call metrics to help agencies analyze and improve daily procedures.

The IntellaTriage Strategic Advantage

As you may have guessed by now, IntellaTriage delivers on the promises of nurse-first triage. Not just a vendor, we are a trusted partner in care delivery. With 16 years of experience and partnerships with some of the largest hospice and home health agencies in the country, we know how to integrate seamlessly into existing operations—ensuring patients receive expert, compassionate triage while providing your field staff the rest they need. How can that fit into your retention strategy?

IntellaTriage acts as your team’s first line of defense and handle up to 80% of triage-addressable calls. This shields nurses from non-urgent calls, while keeping patients supports at all times for the day and night. Additionally, field nurses can focus on their in-person patients without being called away to the phone, which reduces stress, burnout, and subsequent nurse turnover. Partners report reduced turnover and increase nurse job satisfaction.

The Bottom Line: Happier Nurses, Better Care

Burnout is real. The workforce shortage is real. The emotional toll of this work is real. But so is the solution. Outsourcing triage—when done right— means better nurse retention, better patient care, and a more sustainable future for hospice and home health agencies.

It’s time to rethink what’s possible. It’s time to work together to give nurses the support they need —so they can continue to provide the compassionate care their patients deserve.