Find Your Top-Tier Staff: Innovative Strategies for Recruitment and Retention in Healthcare Staffing
Find Your Top-Tier Staff: Innovative Strategies for Recruitment and Retention in Healthcare Staffing
The healthcare industry faces a constant challenge: attracting and retaining qualified coding and auditing staff. With the ever-evolving landscape of medical coding regulations and a growing demand for accurate, efficient coding practices, healthcare organizations are struggling to fill these crucial roles. This isn’t just a minor inconvenience – healthcare staffing shortages directly impact patient care quality, revenue cycle management, and operational efficiency.
We’ve compiled some innovative solutions to prevent the revolving door of new hires. This article dives deep into effective strategies for attracting top-tier coding and auditing talent and fostering a work environment that keeps them engaged and thriving.
The Talent Conundrum: Why Finding the Right Fit for Healthcare Staffing is Tough
The reasons behind the staff shortage are multifaceted. Here are some key factors:
High Demand, Limited Supply
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects an 8 percent growth rate for medical records and health information technicians between 2022 and 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations. This rapid growth, coupled with a limited talent pool, creates a competitive hiring environment.
Burnout and Workload
Employee retention in healthcare is notoriously low. The hospital turnover rate is 20.7 percent, according to the 2024 NSI National Healthcare Retention & RN Staffing Report. Additionally, 60 percent of healthcare support workers anticipate leaving their jobs in the next five years, reveals the Study on Allied Health Workforce Retention by the Ultimate Medical Academy and ACUPOLL Precision Research.
Repetitive tasks, high workloads, and constant pressure to meet deadlines can lead to burnout. This pushes skilled coders and auditors to seek opportunities with a better work-life balance or exit the field altogether.
Salary Stagnation
While salaries for experienced HIM professionals can be competitive, entry-level positions often lack the same financial appeal. This can discourage potential candidates from pursuing a career in coding and auditing, especially when compared to other healthcare professions.
“When inflation occurs, let’s be honest here…we are all affected by this,” Nikki Trowbridge, Director of Human Resources and Employee Services, says. “There are some industries that can adjust quickly, and there are some industries that cannot adjust quickly or even at all. Unfortunately, the focus remains on the money. We need to remind ourselves to pause and look at the whole picture, which includes the benefits or the ‘unseen’ portion of compensation. These benefits include a flexible schedule, telecommuting opportunities, employee discount programs, or health and wellness resources.”
Beyond the Job Board: Innovative Strategies to Attract Top Coding and Auditing Talent
Staff retention in healthcare starts with building a strong talent pipeline. During the interview process, our recruiters and directors target candidates with at least five years of experience coding multiple specialties. We also confirm that the candidate would fit into our company culture seamlessly and be able to adapt to client needs.
Here’s how to attract qualified individuals who are passionate about accuracy and efficiency:
Highlight Career Growth
Millennials and Gen Z job seekers value career development opportunities. Showcase your organization’s commitment to ongoing medical coding training and professional development programs.
Embrace Flexible Work Arrangements
Work-life balance is a top priority for many job seekers. Offer flexible scheduling options, remote work opportunities where feasible, and generous PTO policies. This strategy also helps retain team members.
“When I meet with candidates during the recruiting process, one of the top requests they ask for is ‘flexibility.’ It is important to remember that the candidate is not necessarily asking for permission to work whenever they feel like working, but it may be more like having flexibility in their start time or how long their lunch break is,” Trowbridge explains. “Communicating that flexibility is important and is an added benefit that does not cost the company any additional resources and demonstrates to the employee that you care about them.”
Offer a Competitive Benefits Package
This includes generous paid time off (PTO), health insurance, and retirement savings plans. Competitive benefits demonstrate your commitment to employee well-being and can be a major draw for top talent.
Invest in Employer Branding
Build a strong employer brand that showcases your organization’s culture, values, and commitment to employee well-being. Utilize social media platforms and career pages to highlight the positive aspects of working in your coding department.
Partner with Educational Institutions
Establish partnerships with local community colleges or vocational schools that offer medical coding programs. This allows you to connect with a fresh talent pool and potentially recruit future stars while they’re still honing their skills.
Revolving Door No More: Strategies to Cultivate a Culture of Retention and Keep Your Coding Talent Engaged
Once you’ve attracted the right talent, the next step is to create an environment that fosters retention and collaboration. It’s essential to create a culture that promotes communication and teamwork within your department.
Here are a few healthcare retention strategies to keep your coding and auditing team happy, engaged, and productive:
Invest in Continuous Learning
Provide ongoing training and development opportunities to keep your coding and auditing staff up-to-date on the latest coding regulations and industry best practices. This enhances their skills and demonstrates your commitment to their professional growth.
“As employers, we want our employees to continue learning and building skills. It is a win-win situation that benefits everyone involved,” Trowbridge says. “Not only is the employee gaining the knowledge, but the employer benefits with their team members staying current and allows them to adjust to the client’s needs as they occur, further solidifying that the client’s decision to choose that company was the right choice.”
Empower Your Team
Give your coding staff ownership of their work. This could involve delegating specific projects, allowing them to participate in process improvement initiatives, or encouraging them to take on leadership roles within the department. Each team member has a role in the department but should still collaborate with the rest of the team to meet the organization’s needs.
Recognize and Reward Achievements
A simple “thank you” goes a long way. Publicly acknowledge individual and team accomplishments and consider implementing performance-based rewards or bonus programs.
Promote Work-Life Balance
Encourage your coding staff to take breaks, utilize their PTO, and maintain a healthy work-life balance. If a team member has been working a lot of overtime, encourage them to take a break to avoid burnout. Offer wellness programs or initiatives that promote employee well-being and reduce stress.
“When an employee knows that the company they work for promotes the advice of promoting work-life balance and that their manager follows through with that policy, it can make a huge difference,” Trowbridge explains. “It can break the employee’s trust in the company when the company does not follow through with their philosophy that when an employee is no longer on the clock, they are not to be contacted until they are back on the clock during their next scheduled time.”
She continues, “That does not mean that you cannot send an email to an employee while they are out of the office, but it does mean not disturbing them to find out why they didn’t respond to the email while they are trying to disconnect and recharge.”
Open Communication is Key
Foster a culture of open communication where your coding staff feels comfortable voicing concerns, offering feedback, and suggesting improvements. Regularly conduct surveys or hold meetings to gauge employee satisfaction. Transparency is also required on the part of the organization. Keep team members informed of any updates within the organization and company goals.
Organize Team-Building Activities
Promote collaboration, communication, and team spirit with fun, engaging team-building activities. Here are a few virtual activities for remote teams:
- Online trivia focused on healthcare or coding topics.
- Virtual team lunches or coffee breaks with fun discussion prompts.
- Remote team-building challenges like creating a group playlist or designing a departmental mascot.
Cross-Training: Unearthing Hidden Gems Within Your Organization
If you’re looking beyond traditional recruitment methods, consider the power of cross-training existing staff. Cross-training allows you to develop the skills and knowledge of internal talent and potentially identify individuals interested in transitioning into a different coding or auditing role.
Learning new skills is a powerful motivator. Cross-training opportunities show your investment in your employees’ growth. It fosters a sense of career advancement within the organization, boosting employee engagement. We hear from potential candidates how important it is to have an opportunity to cross-train and gain new skills as an employee. It makes the employee feel more engaged and satisfied to be able to help on new projects.
“Often when we ask a candidate a question about where they see themselves in 5 years, sometimes the focus of the answer often tends to aim towards management. We must remember that not all candidates would like to be a Supervisor, Manager, Director, or even a higher level of management, and they have very good reasons why that might not be the answer,” Trowbridge explains. “Whether it is a personality reason or a professional one, growth does not always mean up, as in climbing the corporate ladder. Most of the time, candidates want to grow and enhance their knowledge and skills. This is where cross-training comes in.”
A cross-trained team can adapt more readily to changing workloads or staff shortages. Employees with a broader skillset are more flexible and can fill in gaps when needed, ensuring consistent department operations.
“When management can step back and examine the talent that their team members contain, think outside the box, and take the time to cross-train and strengthen the potential, they may develop the ability to almost double the size of their team(s) without necessarily adding to the cost of their bottom line,” Trowbridge says. “It also fulfills the team member’s goal to expand their knowledge, grow with the company, and boost their confidence that their employer really cares about their well-being.”
Identify team members for cross-training by asking if they are interested in learning that specific skill or already have a background in that area.
Partnering for Success: How Collaboration with Recruiters and Placement Agencies Can Bolster Your Healthcare Staffing Strategy
While building a robust internal talent pipeline and fostering retention is crucial, sometimes external help is necessary. Collaborating with recruiters and placement agencies can enhance your healthcare staffing efforts.
Recruiters and placement agencies specializing in healthcare often have access to a broader pool of qualified coding candidates. They can leverage their industry knowledge, specialized expertise, and network to identify candidates who align well with your specific needs and organizational culture.
“It is important to partner with an agency that you can work with that will keep you informed of what potential talent is looking for. Don’t be afraid to ask what candidates are looking for and what new and innovative benefits they see out there,” Trowbridge says. “Ask about what your competition is offering. They do not have to provide you with the specifics, but when you develop that strategic partnership, you can work with them as they are in that arena full-time to ensure that you are a viable company.”
Partnering with a reputable recruitment agency can streamline the hiring process by alleviating the burden of screening resumes, conducting initial interviews, and managing the administrative aspects. This allows your team to focus on core responsibilities and expedite filling open positions.
While there may be associated fees with working with recruiters, the time and resources saved through a streamlined hiring process and a higher likelihood of finding qualified candidates can lead to cost savings in the long run.
Recruiters are excellent sources of information regarding your interviewing and onboarding process. Whether a candidate was hired or not, ask the recruiter for feedback from the candidate on how the experience went and if there were any areas for improvement. This strategy will help measure the effectiveness of your recruitment and retention initiatives.
Additionally, Applicant Tracking Systems are great tools for gathering data on how the candidate learned about your company. Use those reports to focus your efforts on what worked and what didn’t.
Building a Successful Coding Team – It’s All About Strategy
Attracting and retaining top-tier coding and auditing talent in today’s competitive healthcare staffing landscape requires a strategic approach. By implementing the innovative strategies outlined above, you can build a strong talent pipeline, cultivate a culture of engagement and retention, and create a team of HIM professionals that is not only skilled but also passionate about contributing to your organization’s success. Remember, investing in your staff is an investment in the quality of patient care, revenue cycle efficiency, and the overall health of your organization.
As one final takeaway, Trowbridge adds, “It is important to create an environment where trust exists. When employees know that the employer cares about their well-being and trust is there, the shift from ‘job’ to ‘career’ takes place, leading to a higher investment all around.”
By following these steps and embracing a proactive approach and partnering with an HIM specialist, you can unlock the full potential of your coding and auditing team and ensure your healthcare organization thrives in the years to come.
