Underperforming agents is the first factor in a revenue cycle process that leads to a higher cost to collect for a healthcare system. With labor costs at an all-time high, managing agent productivity has become increasingly difficult and time-consuming.
Luckily, new solutions are available which provide an easy and fast platform where supervisors and leadership teams receive direct insight into agent productivity.
However, these systems often produce more information than what may be needed, begging the question, what specific analytics should be considered?
Here are three insights providers should pay attention to in order to maximize agent productivity.
Time management tracking
When you’re on the quest to maximize productivity, knowing how agents are spending their time is critical in determining new strategies for cutting costs and improving underperforming agents.
Time management analytics may include, how much time an agent is away from their desks, or how much time they spend on a certain account.
This not only helps providers identify which agents are high performing individuals and engaged in their work, but also those who have too large of a workload or unrealistic account goals.
From there, team goals can be reevaluated and hours redistributed to create a more productive process.
Automated tasks
On average, automation can save employees up to two hours of their work day, or 240 hours per year.
Often times, these solutions provide executives with direct reports on automations available throughout the system that can save agents time. It’s vitally important that automation reports and suggestions be given careful consideration, especially since they can save agents dramatic amounts of time.
Putting hours back into an agent’s day is imperative to the success of a healthcare provider.
Automation also removes mundane, repetitive tasks from an agent’s day allowing them to focus on more high level strategies which creates a sense of value.
This allows providers to take on more accounts since workload can be distributed evenly and effectively, fostering a health bottom line.
Shawn Yates serves as the Director, Healthcare Product Management at Ontario Systems and has more than 20 years of experience in revenue cycle management, spanning both payer and provider sides, as well as a strategic leadership role at Experian Health. This knowledge, combined with innovative products from Ontario Systems, enables Shawn to create high-value solutions that help providers address their revenue cycle challenges.
Account management volume
One factor that can create underperforming agents is an unmanageable workload. While agents typically work in teams, workload can often be mismanaged and distributed unevenly, causing even the highest performers to take on too much responsibility.
Systems almost always have a functionality allowing providers to look at each individual account and the hours being dedicated from each agent.
When these insights are evaluated, providers can decide if they need to redistribute hours or even identify if an agent isn’t devoting the time necessary to keep an account successful and on track.
Productivity is everything in healthcare and agents play an impactful part in keeping the system running smoothly.
When providers evaluate analytics and insights provided by their system it’s important they consider time management tracking reports, needed automations and the number of hours being dedicated to various accounts.
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When these insights are effectively evaluated, proper policies and procedures can be implemented to solve any potential issues and create maximum productivity.
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