By Justin Caldwell, Ed.D, Director of Workforce Health, Riverside Medical Center
In a world where time is money, it becomes apparent that organizations must look at providing services to companies that make it easy for the company to operate and perform at the levels they expect to. This concept is no different for Occupational Health companies. As providers of occupational medicine, it is the goal to provide high-level customer service that makes companies choose a provider without hesitation.
To further explore look at companies such as Chik-Fil-A, Culvers, Amazon, and Starbucks just to name a few. These companies have gone above and beyond standard service levels to provide customers with an option that is different than their competition. This is exactly what Occupational Health companies should be doing for their customers, providing a service unmatched by their competitors.
One of those differentiators to provide is after-hours coverage. After-hours coverage can be an array of different elements. The service can be as simple as providing after-hour phone triage or as complex as providing a provider on site after hours during the peak needs of the customer.
To elaborate, this service should be a service that is beneficial to the customer and can be easily explained to the customer to show a return on investment. Just because an occupational health company provides after-hours coverage does not mean the customers will ask for the service or even know how it will benefit them in the end. It is up to the company to portray the benefit to the customer. Make sure that when a company is approached for after-hours coverage the investigative work and questions have been done before a quote or answer is given. The occupational health providers should know the inner workings of the company and be able to determine how often the after-hours service may or may not be used. The worst mistake is for a provider to offer the service and have the company take advantage of the service and then the provider failed to realize how often the service would be utilized and now margins erode, and staff morale can possibly become an issue.
Several types of after-hours coverage can be provided by providers. The service can be on-call nurse triage via phone, on-call for mid-level providers and physicians for injuries, on-call drug screens or breath alcohol testing for companies, on-site nurses for extended coverage after hours, or just about anything the company needs.
The key is to be able to customize a program that meets the needs of the customer. This is done when a provider is fully educated on what the workflow of the company is and how it operates. One of the important elements to remember for an on-call after-hours program is to make sure to have a policy for how charges will be applied. Make sure to include everything from labor, supplies, travel, premium pay, and anything else that might be part of an after-hours program.
At a minimum, the profit margin should be somewhere between 50 and 75 percent. Typically, providers will see that on-call after-hours coverage can be extremely profitable if structured correctly and executed properly.
Execution is the key concept to make sure this goes off without a hitch when providing this level of service. If someone is on call after hours, one needs to make sure that person is available and it is also necessary to have at least one, if not two backup people on call. The last thing a company wants is to pay for on-call coverage and not have access to the service when it is needed.
It is also necessary to be extremely detailed in the response time for after-hours coverage. A policy should detail how long before a company can expect a response and then from that point, how long before the next step, whether it is a callback or an onsite response. Providing after-hours coverage is a great way for providers to add more money to the bottom line. This service should always be offered at a premium.
Remember, if a company needs after-hours coverage there is a reason that they are inquiring, or a reason that the service is being offered as an option. This can be a high-margin service line that can see a lot of growth if priced and executed properly.
