At the end of each workday, how do you know if you or your staff has been productive? It’s easy to get caught up in menial tasks that keep your healthcare organization running. However, have you ever stopped to think how much time is being wasted by pushing around paper and data?

While there are necessary administrative tasks to keep the ‘lights on,’ many administrative tasks away from us being productive, resulting in missed opportunities to effectively care for patients, stunted professional growth, and increased frustration. If your focus has become on completing administrative work, you may want to reflect on how you should spend your time.

Top Time-Wasters

There are administrative tasks consistently overtaking staff’ time in small, private healthcare practices and large hospital groups. Here are five of the most common administrative tasks hijacking time:

1. Answering Phone Calls: When the phone is ringing off the hook, it distracts from the other activities that are happening within the office. Often, these phone calls are from patients and requesters who need records and forms needing status updates. Managing an ROI process can be a full-time job, distracting your staff members from maintaining their focus on each patient’s needs.
2. Email Management: Every time a new email notification dings on your phone or computer, it can pull your attention away from the tasks at hand. Email is a necessary and unavoidable part of the business in a digital world. But you don’t need an immediate response to every email that comes through. Instead, have a specific time-slot(s) each day to dedicate to just checking and responding to email.
3. Uploading Data: Even with a fast internet connection, searching and uploading data can take up significant time and frequently requires manual management to transfer information. Look for ways to automate these requests and authorizations, so you don’t have to sit at the computer waiting for a “complete” message prompt.
4. Researching Data: Not only do you need to know the status of each request, but it’s common for patients and requesters to reach out asking for updates on their requests. These status requests come through various channels, and it can be a challenge to keep up with phone calls, emails, and other conversations. It would be best if you had a centralized solution so you can quickly find the real-find time status of each request.
5. Printing and Mailing Paperwork: Consider the amount of time and money it takes to print out stacks of paperwork every time medical records need mailing. Instead of paying for staff time, paper, equipment, ink, and postage, offload these tasks to a third-party who can handle the busy work for you.

On their own, each phone call or ROI conversation might seem insignificant. But when you are spending 5 – 20 minutes with each requester, it can quickly take over your day. Eventually, you find yourself running from one request to the next without any time left to focus on the proactive, actionable steps to move your team and company forward. And this is where key ROI components slip through the cracks.

ROI Automation Saves You Time and Money

Time is money applies to every business. When your team is spending time on administrative tasks, other more profitable and desirable needs are neglected, reducing your bottom line.

If you want to optimize workflow and maximize your profits, it’s time to invest in services to minimize your office’s administrative burden. Our team at RecordQuest is here to help. To learn more about our ROI services, contact us or schedule a discovery call to see how we can help.