The Newest Trend in Remote Working: Doctors?
Long before the COVID-19 pandemic made Work from Home, also known as “telecommuting”—fashionable, many people still found it possible and even preferable to earn money without leaving the cozy, comfortable confines of their houses or apartments. In fact, for decades, many writers, artists, and craftspeople have been able to ply their trades without ever having to walk out the front door.
When the Internet provided everyone with instant connectivity, many professionals, including accountants, computer programmers, web designers, travel agents, even attorneys found having a formal office was something of an unnecessary expense. (Those in the big cities also benefitted from avoiding lengthy, tedious commutes.) And during the COVID-19 lockdowns, more than 40 percent of workers found themselves working from home. Even today, with many workers returning to the office, that number seems to have stabilized at around 26 percent, up from just 5.7 percent in 2018.
Though WFH is now an accepted option for many professionals, does it seem reasonable to suggest some jobs will always require workers to interface personally with others? It’s hard to image people in food service, construction, manufacturing, farming, or, for that matter, medicine operating virtually. Yet, as it turns out, many doctors did go virtual during the height of the pandemic.
And now, many plan to stay that way. At least as much as possible.
According to a recent survey by the American Medical Association (AMA), “68 percent of physicians told researchers they were personally motivated to increase the use of telehealth in their practice, and 71 percent said their organization’s leadership was motivated.” Certainly, not all doctors and others who work in the medical field can exercise this option. Surgeons need to be in the operating room. Trauma doctors must be in the E.R. OBG-YNs have to physically deliver babies. But, as it turns out, much of the day-to-day work done by internists and general practitioners need not require that doctor and patient be in the same room. This opens up a whole host of possibilities.
First, it’s worth asking: why would a doctor or any other healthcare professional choose to work from home? Probably for the same reason physicians demand that even sick patients go to their offices, an E.R., or walk-in clinic instead of making house-calls. Because it’s more efficient. (Yes, for those born after 1970, doctors used to make house calls!) Yet by using so-called “telehealth” as much as possible, health systems can increase capacity and boost revenue—all without exposing workers to contagious pathogens.
What’s more, telehealth also improves patient outcomes by breaking down the common barriers of time, distance and cost. In the AMA survey cited above, doctors identified key areas they are most likely to work remotely moving forward. These include the following:
Chronic disease management—73%.
Medical management—64%.
Care coordination—60%.
Preventative care—53%.
Hospital or emergency department follow-up—48%.
Other medical services that doctors and nurses can provide from home or other remote locations include:
Clinical research services – This often involves conducting interviews and crunching data as part of clinical trials or other medical research projects.
Clinician – Like doctors, clinicians help patients with their medical care, but do not possess the advanced M.D. degree.
Medical director – This is primarily an administrative position that helps guide overall patient care.
Medical science liaison – A medical science liaison usually works for a biotech or medical device company and supervises a product’s development and implementation.
Medical writing and communications – As the title implies, this is mostly an education and communications position.
Pharmaceutical medical affairs – This refers to the professionals who maintain regulations within the medical industry.
Physician advising – This job involves reviewing cases as needed to meet established criteria for medical necessity, quality, and desired outcomes.
Remote physician review – This job involves supporting insurance companies and evaluating patient records to determine whether or not a physician is regularly making good treatment decisions.
Utilization review – Completed by either a physician or nurse, this involves the critical evaluation of healthcare services for the purpose of controlling costs and/or monitoring quality of care.
As this list demonstrates, clearly, there are many jobs within the medical sector that do not involve direct doctor-to-patient contact. And, as we’re quickly discovering, there are numerous aspects of even traditional clinical medicine that doctors can do remotely without degrading the level of service. And actually, in many cases improving it.
If you manage all or a portion of a hospital, clinic, or healthcare network, WFH is likely part of your new operational model. Or it will be soon. Yet like any change, a shift to this new way of doing business can be both confusing and fraught with questions. Fortunately, my team has decades of expertise helping organizations of all kinds deal with cultural transition. To get your health system comfortable with WFH and any other challenging aspects of organizational culture, please contact me at laura@conoverconsulting.com.
It’s just what the doctor ordered!