Streamline Your Organization’s Processes with the Help of a Healthcare Project Manager

Streamline Your Organization’s Processes with the Help of a Healthcare Project Manager

With reductions to budgets and staff plaguing hospitals in recent years, health information management teams have been required to take on more projects than ever. As a result, HIM leaders are feeling the strain. As they try to keep up with their daily operations, reduce the discharged – not final billed (DNFB) rate, and tackle these new projects that fall on their plate, the risk of errors and redundancies grows.

This is where a dedicated healthcare project manager can alleviate the burden placed on HIM teams. As defined by the Project Management Institute, “Project management is the use of specific knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to deliver something of value to people.” The project manager is an individual who is trained in project management techniques and strives to help organizations complete their goals.

Why Does Your Organization Need a Healthcare Project Manager?

Healthcare organizations need the assistance of a project manager because the more that one is involved, the more the provider’s operations, procedures, and coding policies will be standardized.

In addition, healthcare costs in the U.S. are among the highest worldwide. The Peter G. Peterson Foundation estimates healthcare spending reached $4.1 trillion in the U.S. in 2020, averaging over $12,500 per person. Project managers can reduce the health system’s costs so it becomes more efficient. Healthcare project managers are specially trained to meet an organization’s goals by utilizing the least number of resources and cutting down on waste.

Healthcare project managers can assist providers in increasing the quality of their care and medical coding processes while minimizing risks and reducing costs.

What Happens If There Is No Healthcare Project Manager?

Several challenges – and failures – can arise during a project if there is no designated project manager. One of the biggest failures we’ve seen in our experience is the failure to communicate to all the stakeholders their roles and assignments within the project. Additionally, the healthcare project manager keeps all parties informed of the project’s progress.

The lack of a project manager also gives rise to skipping project milestones. Without a set schedule or project plan, which is the project manager’s duty, it is common to miss necessary steps to rush completion.

Often, we see healthcare organizations miss the opportunity to identify the root causes of rework and redundancies when there is no project manager. Or, they don’t use the project’s outcome as a chance to drive continuous quality improvement.

Finally, most organizations don’t know how to correctly close out a project. A healthcare project manager ensures all milestones are met, confirms that the deliverable was achieved, and informs all stakeholders that the project has been completed. One last final step that is often missed at project completion is to schedule a “lessons learned” meeting. During this meeting, the healthcare project manager meets with all involved parties, garners feedback, and covers all project objectives to see if there are any improvements to make to the process.

YES HIM Consulting Is Your Top Choice for a Project Manager

As trained and certified healthcare project managers, our consultants know how important each project is for our clients. We understand the direct impacts they can have on reimbursements, coding quality, coding support, and more.

As a result, we strive to accurately compile a true hour and workload estimate for our clients. We take care to ensure the estimate is accurate to the task.

In the past, our healthcare project managers have helped clients reduce operational costs and increase their reimbursement. At the start of every project, we define clear objectives and milestones, which create a clear path toward our client’s goal. Then, we help prioritize the steps to achieve each objective.

Our healthcare project managers utilize the RACI Chart method to identify all project stakeholders. A great project manager is a true communicator and keeps all parties informed throughout the project.

Here is just a brief example of how a RACI Chart might look for a due diligence audit project. Please note: the tasks and stakeholders for each RACI Chart change depending upon the project.

At YES, we take the opportunity to make every process and project more efficient, leading to faster turnaround for reimbursements and lower DNFB rates. Our approach ensures every project will include process standardization, realistic deliverable dates, and improved communication between teams and departments.

Ultimately, our project management approach is customizable based on our client’s needs. But, one principle is always guaranteed: we will never compromise quality and integrity as consultants.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to YES’ team of qualified experts to discuss how a project manager can help your organization.