Working in or overseeing a human resources department for a health organization can be an incredibly stressful job, especially with the Affordable Care Act placing new pressures on healthcare compliance officers, as well as the need to boost productivity without revenue reaching pre-recession levels. Below is some advice to help you take on the toughest challenges health HR can dish out:
- The Problem: It’s Difficult to Find the People I Need to Hire in a Timely Manner
The Cure: Many health organizations employing at least 100 people see positions stay open for a full two months — in fact, that’s true for 73% of these institutions. This can have a serious impact on productivity. Unfortunately, some health staffing problems will only be solved as colleges and universities catch up to the volume of professionals needed in the medical field. But one way to help in the meantime is to set up a proactive recruitment pipeline that finds promising new graduates and places them with experienced mentors to get them up to speed as quickly as possible. This can keep the level of care high without demanding years of experience from new employees.
- The Problem: My Employees Are Stressed and Dissatisfied With Their Jobs
The Cure: The first thing to do is figure out why employees are struggling. It’s extremely likely they’ve seen their workload increase without an increase in pay; about 55% of healthcare workers say they’ve noticed that more has been demanded of them in the past year. If more competitive pay isn’t an option because of your organization’s financial situation, then you can at least offer more support. You should also be mindful of scheduling policies, giving people enough time off to work at their best and being accommodating of personal or family needs.
- The Problem: Hospital Screening Requirements Takes Resources We Don’t Have
The Cure: Now that all health organizations relying on Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement are required to conduct compliance checks with the Medicare and Medicaid exclusion lists, hospital screening policies have gotten much more complicated. The stakes have also gotten higher, with the Office of the Inspector General imposing more fines — and higher fines — than ever on organizations caught hiring or contracting with excluded individuals. Instead of trying to do in-hospital screening, consider contracting those services out to a company specializing in healthcare compliance. The regular database checks and full investigations carried out by such companies can let you sleep a little easier at night knowing your organization won’t be slapped with huge penalties for a small mistake.
What other HR concerns raise your blood pressure? Discuss in the comments.
