Navigating the pandemic for the past two years has created a dramatic evolution in healthcare. Reflecting now on this longer-than-we thought adjustment to the new normal has provided challenges as well as opportunities. Innovation, adaptation, and collaboration have been key to our response.
Challenges
Physical Space Limitations
Lockdowns significantly limited the use of regular physical space. New workflow protocols were created to lower the risk of transmission, and in most clinics far fewer patient appointments could be scheduled in very expensive clinic space.
Rapid and Forced Change
Clinical providers immediately created, learned, and adapted to virtual and telehealth technologies. Daily, physicians and offices had to interpret and manage changing rules, restrictions, and mandates often without notice. As a result, there was dramatic and widespread adoption of technologies in traditionally static settings where innovation and change had been previously resisted.
Increased Pressure
Physicians who own clinics/facilities simultaneously managed the ‘business owner’ stress such as reduced revenues, increased expenses, staff shortages, etc. as well as the strains and stress of caring for their patients using new technologies.
Workforce change
Many medical administrative staff geographically relocated their homes, seeking a more affordable cost of living, or left the industry entirely as a result of the stress of the pandemic. Increased inflation and a more competitive job market continue to increase staff expenses and attrition.
Healthcare System Response
Despite the myriad of challenges, the healthcare system responded quickly and collaboratively to solve problems in real time. PPE was in short demand as clinics rushed to ensure their patients, staff and providers were protected while interacting in close proximity, all in the midst of a global supply shortage.
The Ministry of Health expanded virtual and telehealth fee codes to quickly increase safe access for patients to meet with their providers. Prior to this there had been decades of hesitation and resistance to the use of these types of codes. Virtual health technologies quickly pivoted and became the norm for virtual health visits while ensuring patient privacy standards.
From the early days, the BCCDC and Provincial Health Services Authority understood the need to keep the population informed and up to date by providing the Covid-19 Dashboard and maintaining its accuracy.
Opportunities
Covid-19 accelerated acceptance of these system responses and as a result provide great opportunities for the year ahead, even during the Omicron surge.
The speed of change over the last two years has disrupted long standing attitudes about change processes and integrating technology in medical practices. The pandemic has been a catalyst to shift attitudes in health care to consider non-traditional innovation and technology adaptation. For example, a physician who had a previously paper-only office can now adapt to offer virtual appointments to a home-bound patient through their iPad where appropriate.
All industries have proven that people (both providers and staff) can work effectively virtually. Early fears that a virtual/remote workforce couldn’t be productive have largely been dispelled. Although, there may be need to find the right balance, there are opportunities to explore the administrative functions that might benefit from being off-site or employing team members who may not live in the same city.
Primary and specialist care has been historically ceilinged by the (expensive) physical infrastructure where the business operates. Virtual care opportunities and administrative staff working remotely have caused us to rethink how to optimize the physical space, while being complimented by virtual visits where appropriate. The days of one physician using multiple exam rooms at once will soon be behind us, but further gains can be achieved by unpacking the physical space optimization equation and rethinking the constraints previously thought to be concrete.
The entire pandemic experience has highlighted the importance of wellness and mental health. From an employer perspective, prioritizing the well-being of our people should be considered a priority, as it is people who fundamentally deliver health care. The pandemic normalized and highlighted the importance of self-care and mental health and has encouraged a healthier approach to work-life balance.
Moving Forward
Covid-19 has opened our eyes to new possibilities to how we operate, as forced experimentation with alternative systems have shown success under certain settings.
The healthcare industry now has a tremendous opportunity to leverage business principals to further optimize processes, technology and influence the newly flexed adaptability and appetite for change in the industry. We can be more innovative with how we use physical space and adapt to administrative staff working remotely to increase access to qualified and affordable workforce. With effective communication and tools, leveraging this shift can make room in extremely expensive clinic space, and allow those in high density centers to take advantage of employing workers in potentially less competitive wage markets in sub-urban or rural communities.
People are the heart of businesses, and their dedication, hard work and resiliency is largely the reason we’ve managed the pandemic thus far. In the future, proactively investing in retention will be a much more fruitful and inexpensive approach compared to reactively managing high levels of attrition.
Organizations and teams can invest in and prioritize wellness programs and work life balance to attract and retain staff. There are many ways we can re-evaluate meetings, prioritize our time, and better set boundaries to prevent burnout. Perhaps a New Year’s resolution for business owners and health industry stakeholders should be to consider which practices and habits can be adjusted to ensure employees have a healthier and more supported relationship in their role.
