The healthcare industry is arguably one of the sectors that are bustling today. With all the emerging health concerns, including the ongoing pandemic, such services have become more in demand than ever. Thus, it has also become a popular startup business venture.
However, setting up your own healthcare business will not be easy. For that, you might need some extra help. Let’s look at how outsourcing can give you a better start in this industry and how you can get more from it.
The Challenges Facing The Healthcare Industry
One of the biggest challenges facing healthcare-related businesses is arguably potential staff shortages. With the higher demand, there is stiff competition for the best talents.
Image from the Office of the Comptroller, Texas.
Various industry experts predict that, by 2030, there will be a shortage of around 100,000 doctors. Meanwhile, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said that the United States will need at least 200,000 new nurses each year through 2026. These would fill in new positions, as well as replace retiring personnel.
Beyond these specialized positions, the industry also needs more people to fill other roles. These are the positions related to various support roles, including clerical, human resources, and financial work. They cover a large portion of the additional labor force that small and large healthcare companies need.
The Growth Of Telehealth
Telehealth refers to the process of providing health-related services remotely. While it has been a growing trend in recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated its adoption. However, it also created a new set of challenges for startups.
Image from NPR.
One such challenge is these companies need to operate well beyond the usual hours. After all, patients expect these services to be available when they need them. However, that will require companies to have enough personnel to provide a 24/7 service.
Additionally, telehealth requires companies to use new technologies. In particular, the sector will need to rely a lot on the latest communications technologies to connect with patients. For that, they will need experts to operate this tech.
Delivering Good Patient Experience
But there is more to providing these healthcare services. A startup business also has to deliver the right kind of patient experience. Here, it isn’t just about providing the right diagnosis and treatment.
Image from Referral MD.
Patients will often demand the same level of experience they get from other consumer brands. For instance, they would want to have a smooth experience in booking their appointments with health professionals. Many would also want self-service options to resolve issues and concerns by themselves.
Developing that customer experience will require a healthcare startup business to create a comprehensive set of services. Additionally, they need to handle patient information effectively for service delivery. That will require them to have ample processing and security capabilities.
What Outsourcing Can Do For A Healthcare Startup Business
Faced with these challenges, a healthcare startup business needs something that can help them quickly reach out to patients and deliver the services they want. This is where outsourcing comes into play. The strategy will provide them with an effective means of bringing all the resources needed for those services.
Creating A Distributed Model
The first way outsourcing becomes a significant help for healthcare firms is that it helps them implement a distributed business model. This strategy lets the companies increase the number of patients they can cater to. Here, companies can outsource some of their outpatient and technical operations.
Image from ReserarchGate.
Additionally, that model helps them cut patient turnaround time. Instead of heading to a healthcare provider’s facilities, patients can go to partner services within their areas. These partners can then send patient information to the company for processing. That faster turnaround time is vital, as it helps them diagnose patients earlier.
Better Resource Allocation
Many healthcare companies often focus on allocating most of their resources to their specialized services. After all, these are where they are most often needed. With outsourcing, they can hand over general tasks to partners. Internal staff is then free to focus on providing these specialized services.
Image from Worldwide Universities Network.
That ability is particularly important for running branches in far-flung areas. These branches will often have limited staff. Thus, outsourcing is an effective way for them to have that needed support and maintain service.
What Your Healthcare Startup Business Can Outsource
As is with other outsourcing ventures, your healthcare startup business should be strategic in what it outsources. Arguably the first tasks you would want to outsource are the specialized ones. These are often the ones you might need specific equipment and talent for, such as operating scanning machines or conducting lab tests.
However, much of the work you would want to outsource is the more generalized tasks. These include the following.
- Billing and payment processing
- Claims processing
- Data processing
- Customer support
- Followup and coordination with insurance companies
While these tasks are non-specialized, you still need to hand them over to an expert outsourcing partner. That ensures they are performed efficiently.
Giving Your Healthcare Startup Business More Support
While Virtua Solutions doesn’t handle special healthcare work, we are always ready to aid your startup business. Our team is ready to take on the above support tasks and help you deliver more to your clients.
In particular, many of our agents have already worked with similar industries before. With that experience, they have a good understanding of the healthcare support process. Our team can quickly integrate with yours and handle customer calls.
Virtua can provide that support across different channels, including email, chat, and social media. We can also help you combine these channels into an effective omnichannel strategy. With that, you can stay in touch with patients throughout their medical checkups or even treatment.
We can also help you provide extensive self-help services for patients. Our team will run knowledge base management duties in the background. You can be sure all your online resources are up to date and will provide patients with the right information.
Partner With Us And Provide More For Your Healthcare Clients
There is definitely something noble about setting up a healthcare startup business. After all, you get to help more people stay fit and healthy. And we are always ready to help you make that vision come true. Contact us today and get the right outsourcing services that will benefit your business and patients.