Indiscriminately, healthcare organizations across the U.S. face a persistent challenge: maintaining adequate staffing levels in an environment defined by unpredictable patient volumes, increasing demands for specialized care and ongoing workforce shortages. Traditional solutions such as locum tenens and conventional staffing continue to fall short. Bringing in tele-hospitalists offers a quality, flexible, cost-effective solution to address these challenges while improving care delivery and staff satisfaction.
The Growing Need for Flexible Staffing Solutions
The healthcare workforce shortage is a well-documented issue. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the U.S. could face a shortage of up to 124,000 physicians by 2034. Staffing shortages lead to overburdened in-house teams, higher rates of burnout and, ultimately, diminished quality of care.
Tele-hospitalists’ unique position allows them to help healthcare organizations meet these challenges by providing on-demand expertise, streamlining operations and filling critical gaps without requiring full-time, on-site employment. Their virtual presence brings flexibility and efficiency to staffing models, enabling hospitals to optimize resources and maintain high standards of care.
How Tele-Hospitalists Improve Staffing Flexibility
- On-Demand Expertise
The COVID-19 pandemic illustrated how dangerous hospital surges can be. During the spring of 2020, a study of 117 U.S. hospitals revealed their mortality rate was one-third higher during peak surges when hospital resources were stretched thin. Tele-hospitalists can seamlessly integrate into hospital workflows during these high-demand periods, supporting today’s urgent needs such as flu season, natural disasters, holidays or night shifts. Their ability to provide rapid, remote support ensures patients receive timely care even when in-house teams are stretched thin.
- Cost-Effective Staffing
Did you know to keep hospitalists, hospitals pay the average hospitalist more than double what they earned 15 years ago? The increased pay, however, is just the tip of the iceberg. Hiring full-time in-house specialists often involves significant expenses, including relocation, benefits and administrative overhead. Tele-hospitalists provide a more economical alternative, allowing hospitals to scale their staffing needs up or down based on patient volume without the long-term financial commitments of traditional hiring, locum-tenens or jeopardizing doctors. - Supporting In-House Teams and Reducing Burnout
Burnout remains a critical issue in healthcare, with almost half of physicians experiencing it. By sharing the workload with tele-hospitalists, hospitals can alleviate pressure on in-house teams, creating a more sustainable and supportive work environment. This approach enhances staff morale and improves retention rates.
One example is the Mary Greeley Medical Center’s (MGMC) partnership with Eagle Telemedicine. The hospital wanted to sustainably grow the number of physicians at their facility, improving the lives of their on-site physicians and patients alike. After speaking with the Eagle team, they decided to employ a pod of specialists to support internal hospitalists and their neurology department. Karen Kiel Rosser, VP, Chief Quality & Strategy Officer at MGMC, said, “Our neurology group has expressed that this partnership has significantly improved their quality of life and their practice. They can now focus on their outpatient work without the constant disruption of inpatient consults, which has been a huge relief.”
- Facilitating Cross-Regional Collaboration
Tele-hospitalists enable effective resource sharing across multiple facilities for hospitals operating within an extensive network. Physicians can provide virtual consultations to several locations, maximizing their impact because they don’t have to deal with the inefficiencies of physical travel.
Cross-regional collaboration can be as easy as an already established alliance program. The Eagle Rural Care Alliance brings together rural and community hospitals to bundle telemedicine services, including tele-hospitalists. Amie Powell, Chief Operations Officer at Goodland Regional Medical Center, has seen the benefits in real-time, “By collaborating with Eagle Telemedicine and the other rural hospitals in our network, our rural patients can now receive care at our local healthcare facility and local healthcare providers can access specialists’ expertise.”
- Rapid Response for Unexpected Needs
Whether covering for an unexpectedly absent physician or stepping in during a sudden influx of patients, tele-hospitalists can provide immediate support. Their ability to respond quickly ensures continuity of care without disrupting hospital operations or overburdening existing staff.
An example of using telemedicine for rapid response is Riverside Health System’s four regional facilities. On-call physicians could not keep up with patient volume. Often, one doctor would need to cover multiple hospitals during their shift. This unsustainable situation slowed patient response time, and the heavy patient loads decreased physician retention rates. After conversing with other organizations in the area, Riverside realized they weren’t the only facility experiencing increased patient volume issues. Riverside’s response was to partner with Eagle Telemedicine to adopt a regional hybrid ecosystem. O’Brien Gossage, Riverside Associate Vice President, Neuroscience Service Line, commented, “In talking to other organizations, we realized Riverside’s challenges were the same as many other hospital systems. We were experiencing inconsistent response times affecting patient outcomes, particularly at night. Eagle’s team provided the rapid response consistency we needed.”
Future-Proofing Healthcare Staffing
Incorporating tele-hospitalists into hospital staffing models has significantly enhanced operational efficiency and patient care. Data analysis and direct feedback from hospital staff have been a direct testimony to how telemedicine, specifically tele-hospitalists, is improving care coordination, leading to shorter patient stays, better continuity of care and reduced readmission rates, while relaxing the burden on in-house teams, contributing to higher staff retention and improved morale.
At Eagle Telemedicine, we understand the importance of adaptable, high-quality staffing solutions to meet evolving healthcare needs. Our Tele-Hospitalist programs deliver expert support, optimize workflows and ensure patient-focused care, empowering hospitals to thrive. Contact us today to discuss how tele-hospitalists can make a difference for your hospital.
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