8 June - 2023IN MY OPINIONIn June 2020, nearly three-quarters (74%) of respondents to a LocumTenens.com survey reported that their healthcare organization had increased their use of telehealth services due to COVID-19, with almost half (44%) reporting they had invested in new technology solutions to be able to communicate with patients remotely. Two years later, those numbers remain strong and are growing, as the pandemic created conditions that were incredibly conducive to delivering healthcare services remotely. That's not the only way in which telehealth is transforming healthcare. Newly adopted technologies, combined with hybrid and flexible staffing solutions, are the key to continuing to address complex patient care needs. Good strategies also help tackle entrenched physician shortages, and issues like burnout. HYBRID AND FLEXIBLE STAFFINGTelehealth solutions afford patients, clinicians, and healthcare facilities convenience when it comes to receiving and delivering healthcare services, but it's not necessarily a one-size-fits-all proposition. Flexibility is key, and many healthcare administrators are recognizing that using LocumTenens providers to fill both short term needs and to cover extended, multi-year engagements using telehealth makes good strategic sense. Hybrid staffing is an emerging model that pairs a locum tenens clinician with an opportunity that includes both face-to-face and virtual healthcare, extending the reach of specialty physicians and solving challenges for rural, remote, or communities caused by lack of clinicians. Providers like Dr. Miechia Esco, a vascular surgeon focused on full-time LocumTenens work and licensed in 15 states, spend a designated amount of time in a community to establish patient care, and then conduct patient follow-up remotely from a home base. It's a solution that results in consistent and quality patient care, and because she works as a LocumTenens, Dr. Esco has more control over her own schedule, which contributes to her well-being and helps her avoid burnout."Working at LocumTenens allows me to cut down on the administrative duties that burden permanent physicians and advanced practitioners," Dr. Esco reports. "Not only am I able to spend quality face-to-face time with my patients, having fewer administrative tasks on my plate allows me to spend more time New and Evolving Technologies Support Emerging Healthcare Staffing SolutionsBy Chris Franklin, President, LocumTenens.com Chris Franklin
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