While some would argue that the practice of outsourcing of healthcare services such as medical billing and medical coding services would be detrimental to a company, there are those who would lobby for the move, citing successes among other outsourcing sectors such as customer relationship management or other back office functions. Others fear that the adoption of healthcare outsourcing would not only be detrimental to the company but the whole industry as well.
In a report by the American Society for Quality (ASQ), dated the 1st of November, 56% of respondents to a survey conducted among more than 300 ASQ members and practitioners were substantially dissatisfied with their current provider in the areas of innovation and making process improvements.
Also on the 1st of November, an article from the Wall Street Journal cited how Indian healthcare outsourcing providers will have a hard time convincing US healthcare providers, specifically, US hospitals, to outsource with them. According to the article, the qualms according to healthcare providers arise from worries over efficiency as well as legal concerns.
But while the concerns do exist, outsourcing companies remain optimistic. IT and business process outsourcing provider, the ConJoin Group acquired healthcare IT business process outsourcing provider, PHNS on the 8th of November. Richard Garnick, the ConJoin Group’s founder, says that the acquisition is “a significant opportunity to dramatically scale up operations and improve the PHNS product offering in response to unprecedented North American demand for healthcare IT services”.
The TriZetto Group has even announced on the 8th of November that its plans to expand for its business process outsourcing services to include front-end processing, enrollment, billing and claims administration.
Meanwhile, US-based company, Globallogic, advised on the 15th of November that they will be increasing their manpower to about 2,000 with half of this in India. According to Peter Harrison, the company’s CEO, “We have seen healthcare merging with telecom in the form of devices and this convergence is expected to bring a lot of growth to our business, globally as well as in India.” Aside from that, the company is looking at an acquisition in India.
And while these are just some of the developments in the healthcare outsourcing sector, a market commentary by Marlin & Associates on the 10th of November, speculates that with the increasing trend of outsourcing coupled with the pressure of healthcare reform to improve healthcare services and technology, some companies will likely stand out in building a “next generation Healthcare Information Network”. These include UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) subsidiary, Ingenix, Verizon, AT&T (NYSE:VZ), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and IBM (NYSE:IBM).
As seen in the recent developments above, with the increasing competition, ever-nearing deadline, and the pressures from healthcare providers to provide better services and quality, then it is likely that the healthcare as we know it today will be revolutionized into a well-organized and technologically sound system. Call it an overly optimistic view of the future state of healthcare and healthcare outsourcing, but then again, all innovation does not have its own eureka moments.
Since the beginning of the healthcare debate, many things have been said about how healthcare reform will help all of us. Lower premiums, a ban on pre-existing conditions and affordable care for those who don’t have insurance are just a few. Many of the provisions don’t kick in until 2014, but the extra taxes have already started. Our elected officials have decided in their infinite wisdom that 10 years of income collection vs. 6 years of benefits somehow makes this bill budget neutral, but they didn’t even get that right. We all know that the new healthcare law will cost far more than they have told us, but who is really benefiting from our additional expense?
People with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied for health insurance, but they will be placed in high risk pools with subsidized and high premiums. This is a good thing for those that couldn’t get health insurance previously because of a health condition, but everyone else will have to make up the difference in cost. Regardless of how you feel about income redistribution, this provision is good for about 15% of the population at the expense of the other 85%. They say the costs will be partially offset by government subsidies, but the government’s money comes from the same people in taxes; so one way or another everyone will be paying more. Still, most people agree that something needed to be done to help these people and this seemed like the only real choice.
Children up to the age of 26 can now remain on their parents health insurance as long as they are in college or still living at home. By the age of 26, Alexander the Great had already conquered all of Persia and assumed control of one of the largest empires in history. I don’t believe a person in their twenties can be considered a child, and there are many other options for young adults in college. Parents still have to pay more to have their children on their policies, so this is more about additional income for the insurance companies from a portion of the population that hardly ever needs to use it. This will help keep everyone else’s premiums down, but again, we are back to the income redistribution issue that most people don’t want.
About 16% of the American population falls below the poverty line and these people don’t typically have health insurance. There is a mandate that starts in 2014 that will force people to purchase health insurance if they don’t have it, and Americans below the poverty line will be exempt. Congress believes that the additional customers will bring premiums down to a level that will make it affordable for those below the poverty line, but most believe that this mandate is unconstitutional and will be thrown out; so where does that leave us? A healthcare exchange will be formed in 2014 that will put people into pools and make it cheaper to purchase a policy; but again for most people below the poverty line, premiums will still be too expensive to get. The idea is to make it possible for 16% to get insurance and mandatory for the other 84%, but what does that say about the America we live in today?
The new healthcare law does help some people without a doubt, but it hurts almost everyone except the politicians. This is yet another great example of the government trying to “help” us by telling us how to live our lives. In 2014, the rest of our “help” will kick in and really corrode the level of our healthcare system. It won’t be budget neutral for the first 10 years, and it will skyrocket in cost the 10 years after that. All this when companies like Ameriplan and others already had good alternatives to solve the problem. All or part of the healthcare law may be repealed at some point, but we still need to address the needs of those that fall through the cracks.
Professionals can acquire the best pediatric nurse practitioner jobs in the US by striking a relationship with a healthcare staffing concern. The role of the nurse practitioner, particularly in pediatrics, is one of great importance and positively affects kids, parents and the family. Pediatric nurse practitioners should have at least a master’s degree in nursing, and have to be specifically trained in offering personalized care for infants, toddlers, children and teens.
Responsibilities of a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
The responsibilities of a pediatric nurse practitioner include physically examining the child, performing tests, treating illnesses, prescribing medication, consulting the child’s doctor for discussing treatment procedures or even suggesting changes, educating kids and parents about the illness and healthy practices to be adopted, giving further insight on the growth and development of the child.
Healthcare staffing concerns can locate the most appropriate pediatric nurse practitioner jobs in the US for those seeking it. The well qualified and experienced staffing consultants at the firm can help individuals identify the right job opportunities, taking into consideration their requirements for salary, geographical location, opportunities for career growth, and other factors. Pediatric nurse practitioners, being a positive influence for children, families and the society in general, can come across varied job opportunities that would suit their interests.
The profession of the nurse practitioner is also one that demands a great deal of commitment and dedication, particularly in pediatrics. Dedication can come with only the right job, and the healthcare staffing concern can ensure nurse practitioners get what’s right for them.
Tasks of a Healthcare Staffing Concern
Through innovative online recruiting tools and other procedures healthcare staffing firms process the applications of hundreds of healthcare professionals and meet the demand for staff for healthcare institutions around the nation including hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes and research facilities. Apart from being a great channel towards pediatric nurse practitioner jobs in the US, the healthcare staffing concern is also a wonderful resource center for healthcare professionals, providing invaluable service quite like the healthcare professionals themselves.
