Hospice care provides a vital service to people during the last days of their lives. However, hospice owners in Texas experience increasing administrative challenges that may stand in the way of providing essential care.
Staffing shortages
Like many health care organizations, hospices currently face increasing staff shortages. While a lack of qualified definitely poses a concern, hospice administrators also face staffing shortages for these professional positions:
• IT staff
• Human resources
• Billing
• Marketing
• Accounting
• Sales
Retention efforts and salary costs
Hospice administrators also note the increasing costs of retaining staff and paying salaries as significant hospice challenges. They must deal with raising salaries, offering sign-on bonuses, and providing competitive benefits in order to attract workers. Many administrators also pay for recruiting services in order to attract the most qualified hospice workers. All of these expenses present budgeting challenges.
Expanding number of patients
An estimated 61 million people between the ages of 66 to 84 will live in the U.S. by 2030. This large population of older adults poses challenges for hospice owners who already face staffing challenges. The need for patient-centered care becomes difficult to achieve when the patient population grows so rapidly.
Software solutions
While electronic health care records require a significant financial investment, they also save time in the long run. They also offer a greater level of accuracy than manual patient records. However, the initial costs of electronic records does present a challenge to hospice administrators.
Balancing business and healthcare
Hospice owners face administrative challenges due to the struggle to balance the needs of their patients with the administrative needs of running a business. Legal, ethical and financial goals may conflict with one another, and the owners will need to find a way to comply with these competing needs.