How your Intranet can play a strategic role in HR cost reduction
How your Intranet can play a strategic role in Human Resources cost reduction initiatives
In an ideal world for Human Resources, the department can act as a strategic partner on multiple levels within an organization. Cost reduction can come from various sources and can be realized through a central hub such as an Intranet.
Areas of Cost Reduction are as follows:
Cost per Hire – Hiring A players. If an organization has a well-planned out hiring strategy then defining the resources needed to achieve these goals becomes much easier. However, hiring those players is becoming more and more competitive, and processes can become burdensome once the A player is found. An automated system to not only move a candidate through an interview and approval process but also expedite the onboarding tasks becomes standard. The more that process can be fine-tuned, the more competitive the hiring process becomes.
Employee Retention – Training and Mentoring. If an organization decided that they would no longer lay-off ANY employees, the burden would be on HR to ensure that all new employees were able to function in multiple roles. Once a company hires an A player, that resource becomes very valuable and mentoring, coaching and training all become key in ensuring that the new employee is engaged and satisfied. Having an automated system to evaluate and measure competencies within multiple departments and provide recommendations becomes standard.
Certainly, Absence Management is a given – Unapproved or invalid time off is costly. An automated PTO request and accrual system is key. Departmentally, having access to critical resources like on-call schedules and electronic time-off automation tools can lead to a more proactive and high-functioning department making managing people and projects a more seamless and efficient experience.
Reducing benefit costs is the Holy Grail. Whether you are Self-Insured or with a Provider, your plan costs depend on utilization and claims. Depending on your census, you could have skilled resources with a variety of health or family concerns. Providing competitive plans increases your ability to compete for these resources. Having access to your current summary of benefits and providing automated enrollment for those plans becomes standard. Keeping track of those “Part-Time” employees approaching full-time status is also key in your benefit costs focus.
Risk Assessment, Mitigation, and Compliance. All healthcare organizations can benefit greatly by providing skills-based training, and correct, compliant policies and procedures. Timely and proper claims procedures are imperative for reimbursement qualification. Greater risks come when policies and procedures are outdated and no longer accepted by the governing or accrediting body. This can endanger employees and colleagues, but also cause harm to patients in a healthcare setting. Having an automated system that provides policy expiration notifications, as well as the ability to update, approve, and publish documents in one location will help to ensure positive outcomes should an audit be required due to a casualty/injury or malpractice claim.
Most importantly in the Healthcare CMS reimbursement world is Emergency Preparedness.
Four Core Elements of Emergency Preparedness:
On September 8, 2016 the Federal Register posted the final rule Emergency Preparedness Requirements for Medicare and Medicaid Participating Providers and Suppliers. The regulation went into effect on November 16, 2016. Health care providers and suppliers affected by this rule must comply and implement all regulations one year after the effective date, on November 15, 2017. For a breakdown on how to use your Intranet for Emergency Preparedness and Response, please click here.
- Risk Assessment and Emergency Planning (Include but not limited to):
o Hazards likely in geographic area
o Care-related emergencies
o Equipment and power failures
o Interruption in communications, including cyber attacks
o Loss of all/portion of facility
o Loss of all/portion of supplies
o Plan is to be reviewed and updated at least annually
- Communication Plan
o Complies with Federal and State laws
o System to Contact Staff, including patients’ physicians, other necessary persons
o Well-coordinated within the facility, across health care providers, and with state and local public health departments and emergency management agencies.
o Complies with Federal and State laws
- Training and Testing
o Complies with Federal and State laws
o Maintain and at a minimum update annually
In summary, a well-constructed Intranet should provide all of the critical elements of cost reduction, and cover automated processes in hiring, training, competency and comprehension, employee certifications/performance, engagement and community, benefits summaries, online requests and approvals, and most importantly, automated tools to ensure against compliance liabilities. Your healthcare Intranet should be accessible by all employees at authenticated levels and administered by departmental resources to ensure their goals are conveyed, communicated and accomplished.
For more information about the HospitalPORTAL Intranet, please schedule a demo or reach out for a trial site today.