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| Employee Productivity |
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by Jack McCoy - July 25, 2011
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The healthcare industry today needs to take a micro in-depth analysis of all financial and operational aspects of their business. Yes, healthcare is a business and it is crucial today to accept this concept. If this is not done, then the financial and operational components and goals of the business very possibly will not be achieved. This overall analysis should begin with a focus on critical areas such as employee productivity, coding/billing, accounts receivables, accounts payables, and the delivery of quality patient care.
A matrix can be established that presents the Inputs, Operations, and Outputs of every healthcare institution.
Inputs are employees, patients, capital, facilities, equipment that are needed to enable the various systems, processes, and operations that will produce outcomes resulting in quality patient care, higher employee retention, reduced costs/expenses (lower costs per unit or service), acceptable financial ratios, increased productivity (more units/service produced or delivered over a specified period of time), for the subsequent or resulting increased profit. A profit must be achieved for non-profit and profit entities to survive or go out of business.
Let’s focus first on employee productivity. I have observed over many years in healthcare that this was not a real concern due to fee-for-service payment plans. Now with the current payment plans it is very crucial that employee productivity be measured, work standards established, staffing guides, job evaluations/job audits, work flow be analyzed to determine if work tasks can be combined, eliminated, or changed to determine the true or actual number of employees needed at all positions in the organization. For many years employers witnessed employees working and felt satisfied that they were being productive, in fact many were. But now it is time to look at employees work tasks by what I call the “Look/See” Attitude. We look at employees working but do we really see what work tasks they are performing and are they still needed to be performed. Time and environmental changes require a new look at these long established ways of doing work. Employers are very busy running their businesses and do not have the luxury of time to look at their operations in this manner. It is needed now to stay or remain competitive in the market place.
If healthcare employers will begin to develop a “Look/See Attitude”, then there is a positive future ahead.
Jack McCoy has over 25 years work experience and education in executive healthcare administration. He has sucessfully improved employee productivity through work flow analysis, establishment of work standards/stafffing guides, manpower control systems, conducted job evaluations/job audits, analyzed business operations with recommendations, implemented changes, performed financial analysis to identify opportunities for improvement thereby improving patient care, reducing costs/expenses and subsequentially increased profits.
The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.
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