New Approaches to Hospital Staff Management to Control Costs

Our current healthcare system is undergoing a slow, but certain metamorphosis. The COVID-19 pandemic made clear to the general public what many hospital CEOs and hospitalists already knew. Healthcare in the United States is still facing serious staffing challenges. Most notably, the shortage of qualified personnel combined with ballooning costs fueled by over-dependence on third-party contractors. In this post, Open Source MD discusses its innovative approach to the issue.

Hospital Leadership Rises to the Challenge 

As challenging as responding to COVID-19 was for hospitals and healthcare workers, it may have been a blessing in disguise, in a sense. Many say the pandemic and its aftermath have been the proverbial ‘canary in the coal mine’ which is finally bringing much-needed attention and resources to long-lingering issues and challenges in healthcare. 

As a hospital CEO or Chief of Staff, it is critical to remain informed about key trends in healthcare, particularly those that have arisen in response to the COVID crisis. Therein lies the solutions to many challenges–as well as crucial insights to guide decision-making for your hospitals. One of the trends you may not have been aware of is the evolution in the physician-hospital relationship being spearheaded by Open Source MD. 

Temporary Solutions for Systemic Hospital Staffing Issues for Hospitalists

Maintaining sufficient staffing levels of hospitalists and other mission-critical staff is often cited as one of the biggest challenges faced by hospital CEOs at the moment. The COVID crisis forced the hands of many hospital CEOs and leaders to rely more than ever on third-party agencies to keep positions filled. 

The expanding use of travel nurses and agency-managed hospitalist physicians has ballooned the cost of staffing while delivering little benefit in return, aside from simply maintaining the status quo, at best. In fact, many in hospital management feel that the inherent transience of third-party contract workers combined with their divided loyalties has had a negative impact on quality of care and patient satisfaction. A better solution is needed. 

Getting Your Hospital on Mission and on Budget 

Put simply, you want nurses and physicians who feel like part of your hospital. Staff who know their way around the building and campus. Hospitalists who are familiar with protocols and policies. Staff members who have a working relationship that extends beyond a brief contract period and who work for the hospital directly are the ideal. Not only do they have better morale and collaborate more effectively, they also cost less. 

Bringing your hospitalists in-house with Open Source MD effectively opens up the lines of communication. It eliminates artificial barriers between you and some of your most critical staff members who are directly responsible for patient care and patient satisfaction. Open Source MD’s unique model delivers that direct working relationship with your physicians while eliminating the challenge of human resources “busy work” and recruiting.

How Open Source MD is Reinventing the Hospital-Physician Relationship

Our revolutionary hospital staffing model connects physicians who work as independent contractors, directly to your hospital. The end result is lasting relationships with your hospitalists and long-term solutions rather than “band-aids” and patch-ups for your systemic staffing challenges. 

The Open Source MD approach is expertly engineered to reduce the burden on hospital leadership and administration so they can focus on quality of care and patient satisfaction.

Open Source MD’s novel hospital staffing approach means:

• NO recruitment, locums, or human resources costs for the hospital.
• The hospital pays doctors directly and retains control over their services.
• Hospitals can adjust their physician workforce size based on patient volumes.
• A closer physician-hospital relationship without third-party interference.
• Long-term answers for chronic staffing shortages rather than “band-aids”. 

The Open Source MD model forges stronger bonds between hospitals and physicians. Unlike the typical third-party agencies, we facilitate the doctor-hospital relationship rather than complicating it. If you’re tired of the struggle to maintain a workforce of talented hospitalists and other physicians in your hospital, Open Source MD has the answer. 

Please call us at 336-997-9840 or contact us online to learn more.