As 2021 is coming to an end and 2022 is around the corner, it’s a great time to evaluate your office’s systems and organization. Where are areas of opportunity to improve productivity and practical solutions in your healthcare company?

New Systems Take Time

It often makes sense to implement new software tools and systems at the start of the new year. But if you want to have everything up and running in January, you need to start working on the implementation right now. It takes time to choose the solutions that are a good fit for your healthcare organization.

Once you’ve selected the right tools and service, it’s time to invest in training your staff members. The team needs a few weeks or months to learn about the new processes they will be following in the new year. Remember that people tend to take more time off during the holidays. So, early November is an ideal time of year to start these training classes.

Getting started early could alleviate any bottlenecks with training as staff members take time off for the holidays. Additionally, you can reduce the risk of having a backlog of requests at the outset of the year.

Invest for a Better 2022

Change takes time, but it’s worth the investment. As you look ahead, it’s essential to find ways to boost overall results and provide a better experience for your patients. Even though it will take time and effort to implement a new system, remember that it is a long-term investment improving productivity and solidifying better business systems in the future.

Write down your goals for 2022 and get a head start right now. There’s no reason to wait until January before you start putting in the effort to prepare for better solutions in the future.

COVID Impact on Training and Turnaround Times

There’s no question that the ongoing COVID pandemic continues to affect every industry – especially healthcare. The impact of the current health conditions makes it harder to keep up with requirements in the office.

With conditions constantly changing, the manner in how organizations interact with patients is crucial. For example, during the lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, many patients were hesitant to visit doctors in person for fear of exposure to the virus. So, a sudden shift to telehealth services slowed down routine appointments in medical offices.

Now that the vaccine is available and people are trying to return to a “normal” way of living, the demand for in-office appointments increases. With more patients coming into your office, your staff will need to deal with a higher volume of phone calls, increased paperwork, and effective customer service.

It’s safe to assume the demand for in-person medical services will continue to rise as patients return to offices for routine checkups and appointments. With this trend, healthcare organizations will see a rise in the demand for medical record requests throughout the rest of 2021 and into 2022.

Requesters Expectations are Changing

Everything in our modern lifestyle moves quickly. Because of on-demand access for everything from entertainment at our fingertips to same-day shipping and doorstep delivery, patients are also expecting faster turnaround times for digital records.

When someone requests medical records, they don’t want to wait for weeks before receiving the paperwork; both patients and third-party requestors demand that your team works quickly to provide the requested information. Investing in a new system right now is critical to ensure you are keeping up with the time-sensitive demands of today and in the future.