Over the last several weeks, we’ve focused on readiness for joining an Accountable Care Organization, or ACO. We’ve explored what an ACO is, shown how to see if your practice is ready to join an ACO, and shared five key questions to assess before either forming your own ACO or joining an existing ACO.

With the public health emergency and the impact of Covid on the overall workforce, we’ve all become even more familiar with terms such as “The Great Resignation” and “toxic culture”. Especially in the overburdened healthcare industry, with many clinical and support areas experiencing shortages of employees or shifts in employee responsibilities, the topic of workplace culture has become even more critical.

Call-outs, resignations, and limited staffing resources make it challenging to keep up with the day to day requirements of a primary care practice. While many corporations are transitioning to remote or hybrid work and are increasing compensation to remain competitive, it is difficult to make these changes in a field where in person contact is necessary. Telemedicine is certainly a trend here to stay, but most visits still require an in-person appointment so the provider can listen to the patient’s heart, lungs, and perform tests that cannot be done from home.

It seems everywhere you look now, self-service is present from self-check-outs to ordering and paying using a QR code at a restaurant. Self-service, or the digital front door, became even more prominent with the COVID pandemic to reduce face-to-face interactions and the spread of the virus. Healthcare has had self-service options for patients for some time now through patient portals but these options are continually expanding to allow patients to interact with their healthcare team in the way they prefer. These methods can include self-scheduling, text messages to request an appointment or change an existing appointment, paying bills, completing health assessments before arriving at the office, and checking in for an appointment prior to arrival.

It is no secret that healthcare has been in crisis — a staffing crisis. While the pandemic certainly exacerbated the situation, present workloads, emerging patterns contrary to traditional practice, and burnout are only the latest in a long line of factors straining the healthcare workforce.