Telehealth

Telehealth use surged in the first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic as governments issued stay-at-home orders and providers limited onsite health services. True, telemedicine use declined as more healthcare organizations resume normal services, as patients tend to prefer in-person doctor visits.

Healthcare systems in the United States have been feeling the effects of the workforce shortage for years now, but a more dire impact is still to come. The Health Resources and Services Administration predicts significant increases by 2030 in the demand for respiratory and physical and occupational therapists, among other allied health professions.

From disaster privileging to credentialing by proxy and beyond, COVID-19 has profoundly affected medical staff services professionals’ (MSSP) operations and obligations.

Many healthcare organizations adopted telemedicine for the first time during COVID-19, introducing a wave of process changes. Assessing healthcare providers’ competencies and licenses without meeting them in person was new to many, but a wider adoption of credentialing by proxy makes the process more accessible.

After decades of growth and innovation, health technology took an enormous leap forward in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. From contact tracing to treatment to slowing the spread, innovative technology has been crucial in healthcare’s fight against the novel coronavirus.

Here are a few of the ways that healthcare organizations, tech developers, and researchers have leveraged technology to help curb the spread of COVID-19 and maintain a safe workforce.

As COVID-19 continues its course, schools across the U.S. have embraced distance learning to prioritize student safety and wellbeing in the midst of the pandemic. But most healthcare education programs rely on months of clinical training to adequately prepare students for handling patient relationships and needs. How will these programs have to adapt to provide high-quality clinical care education virtually?

Both the clinical and administrative sides of healthcare are constantly evolving, from screening job candidates to conducting patient visits to training medical students. As we enter a new decade marked by a global pandemic, these advancements create significant challenges and opportunities for all parts of a healthcare organization.

Healthcare organizations across the country face stay-at-home orders that make it difficult to deliver in-person care. But even outside of the urgent need for providers to provide care to critically ill patients with COVID-19, patients need access to care when they are ill or injured by other causes. 

Shortages among physicians and other healthcare professionals are impacting healthcare organizations across the nation. But that doesn’t mean that healthcare organizations have to sacrifice quality of care. Credentialing cements a physician or other healthcare provider’s knowledge and skills so a healthcare organization can make the right personnel and hiring decisions. In the face of these staffing shortages, medical services professionals (MSPs) often stand between uncredentialed physicians and other healthcare workers and patient safety.