Overcome workforce challenges with remote prior authorization support
Several industries have been hit hard by workforce shortages over the past couple years, and healthcare is certainly no exception, with current market conditions making it increasingly difficult for hospitals to both attract and retain top talent.
But what exactly has been driving these shortages within the healthcare space? Here is a closer look at the primary factors behind the issue and how prior authorization support from Visante can help alleviate these challenges while driving profitable business to your internal pharmacy.
3 factors of workforce shortages
While there are several varying contributors at play, 2022 pharmacy workforce issues are being largely driven by these three key factors.
Factor 1: Employee burnout
The pandemic paired with everyday work-related challenges has significantly increased work-related stress and has accelerated burnout rates for healthcare workers and pharmacists. This burnout has led to a pharmacy technician workforce crisis, causing increases in turnover rates that hurt both patient care and pharmacy business growth.
Factor 2: Workforce mobility
The concept of a decades-long tenure with a single employer has become less common in today’s climate, with employees now being much more open to changing jobs if a better opportunity becomes readily available. Many workers today strive for a better work-life balance than in decades past, and the pandemic has created numerous opportunities for remote work that previously did not exist. As hospitals work to attract and retain top talent, employee mobility and flexibility must be considered as a top-level feature.
Factor 3: Growing skills and compensation gaps for technicians
A strong technician workforce is the backbone of any successful pharmacy operation – yet these individuals are still the lowest-paid healthcare tech workforce in the country. Despite the job of a pharmacy technician being highly complex and specialized, compensation has failed to keep up with the unique demands of the position. Because of this, many organizations are experiencing 20-30% turnover and associated technician vacancies.
So what are hospitals and health systems to do? Visante is here to help alleviate these challenges by providing remote prior authorization support for our clients.
Remote prior authorization support
Visante works with hospitals and health systems to provide all services related to medication access and affordability. This includes:
- Benefits investigations
- Prior authorization submissions
- Coordination of denials and appeals with the clinical care teams
- Free drug program and enrollment for patients
The scope of our personalized support extends across both specialty and non-specialty medications within your clinics, including clinic-administered and infused medications.
For newer specialty pharmacy programs, providing efficient prior authorization services is critical to achieving excellent patient care and to improving pharmacy financial performance. Our support can integrate with your existing prior authorization workflows (if centralized services are already established), or we can help develop centralized workflows and provide staffing support.
Who needs prior authorization support?
There are many reasons your organization may need assistance with prior authorization, including:
- You’re new to specialty pharmacy services and need a plug-and-play solution to quickly get off the ground while you hire internal resources
- You have challenges managing seasonal changes in prior authorization volume
- You have challenges with workforce recruitment and retention and are looking for supplemental support in addition to your established prior authorization team
- You’re looking for long-term staffing for your specialty pharmacy program due to a variety of potential reasons
Visante assists with each of these situations and can work collaboratively with you and your team to determine how best to support your organization and patients.
Contact us today to get started.