STAFFING
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O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | O C T O B E R 2 0 1 4
Recruit part-time employees.
Part-time employees offer several
benefits to a staffing schedule. First, they're more willing to
commit to regularly scheduled days than per diem workers, who
might hold out for the highest bidder. There's more opportunity to
pick up highly qualified part-time help who need to keep their income
level closer to full-time wage earners, especially because some cen-
ters have reduced the number of full-time employees to comply with
the Affordable Care Act's health insurance mandates for employers of
50 full-time employees or more.
Even if you offer reduced benefits, such as health insurance and
paid time off, to part-time employees, based on their hours worked,
your center will still save money, compared with staffing full-time
employees. You'll also be able to cover changing surgery schedules
more nimbly.
Bolster your per diem roster.
What about the dreaded threat of
understaffing? You know, that situation where you've let staff
have a day off only to have Dr. Smith book a D&C. You can call your
previously scheduled staff to see if they can cover the case, but
they've likely made plans to enjoy the surprise day off. In addition,
they may expect to work their full shift if they decide to come back in,
which would blow any revenue from the add-on case. Before you
make those calls, consider checking with per diem staff. These on-call
workers can be used most effectively to fill in during low-census days,
especially when they're cross-trained in all aspects of perioperative
care.
Reconsider overtime for part-timers.
Even in states where overtime
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