Becker's Hospital Review

51 Executive Briefing: OR Clinical Outsourcing Sponsored by I n a time when hospital and health system funds are tight — yet inextricably linked to quality — organizations have to start thinking creatively to provide the best possible care at the low- est possible price. To do so, many hospitals and health systems have turned to out- sourcing partners for many nonclinical services, such as house- keeping, food service and patient satisfaction surveys. Increas- ingly, they are also turning to partners for clinical services, such as hospitalists, emergency department staffing and dialysis services. "Hospitals, like all businesses, are looking for a way to maximize value and at the same time ensure world-class quality outcomes," says Melvin F. Hall, PhD, CEO of SpecialtyCare, on why hospitals look to outsourcing. The business case is compelling. Outsourcing allows hospitals to save on labor costs and often drives improvements in perfor- mance and efficiency. "Outsourcing offers benefits for the patients, and it's prudent from a business perspective," Dr. Hall says. Clinical outsourcing of specialized operating room services — such as perfusion and intraoperative neuromonitoring — is grow- ing in popularity because trusted, highly trained specialists can partner with hospitals and health systems to meet their quality and cost goals, and ensure compliance with Stark Law and the Anti-Kickback Statute. Benefits of outsourcing in the OR With greater frequency, hospitals are finding that outsourcing pro- fessional positions and services in the operating room can yield benefits in three major areas: labor costs, benchmarking and quality improvement. By outsourcing perfusionists or surgical neurophysiologists, hos- pitals can better manage periods of fluctuating volume, which helps manage labor costs overall. "Hospitals do better financially when all aspects of the OR are managed efficiently," says Dr. Hall. "When perfusion services are outsourced, the clinical partners are supplied as demand dictates. When a hospital employs its own perfusionists, those professionals can be underutilized during pe- riods of low volume, and the hospital must still pay for their time." Outsourcing with a national partner for clinical services can also help the hospital benchmark OR performance against itself and other ORs across the country. On their own, hospitals have no way of knowing how their perfusionists perform against their peers in glucose management, fluid management and other im- portant clinical metrics. The lack of comparative data is often why many hospitals turn to outsourcing for other services as well, such as patient satisfaction surveys. "Hospitals collect the data, but they don't have a way to compare their performance with other hospitals or groups of hos- pitals, such as those of similar size," says Dr. Hall. "By partnering with a national organization, hospitals gain that capability and in- sight into their performance." Once reliable data are available for comparison, a hospital can drive quality improvement efforts both within the organization and the OR itself. "Physicians, particularly heart surgeons, are very competitive," Dr. Hall says. "If they are presented with high-quality data, such as a national benchmark on glucose management and data on where their OR stands, they are more likely to take action to improve their own performance and that of their team. They are going to do something about it." Additionally, national outsourcing partners can step in and help with quality improvement efforts. SpecialtyCare clinicians are fo- Improve Operating Room Performance With a Clinical Partner Clinical outsourcing can make real improvements in your quality and bottom line. Clinical outsourcing of specialized operating room services — such as perfusion and intraoperative neuromonitoring — is growing in popularity because trusted, highly trained specialists can partner with hospitals and health systems to meet their quality and cost goals, and ensure compliance with Stark Law and the Anti-Kickback Statute.

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