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The S.T.A.B.L.E. Program Online Course

Improve quality of care for well and sick infants. Learn how it can transform your ability to accurately monitor and care for infants, improving their quality of life.

AACN ECCO Essentials of Critical Care Orientation

Essentials of Critical Care Orientation (ECCO), from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), is an interactive, case-based course designed to orient nurses on critical care basics.

COVID-19 Support Courses

These courses are designed to educate staff on current guidelines for infection control across various care settings and precautions for airborne pathogens.

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< HealthStream Resources

Supporting Credentialing Staff Working From Home (Part 2)

April 1, 2021
April 1, 2021

By Joe Morris, Writer, HealthStream

This blog post is based off of an Industry Insight Webinar: Disaster and Telehealth Privileging During the COVID-19 National Emergency.

The concept of working remotely, or working from home (WFH), has gained a great deal of attention in recent years. For some industry sectors, it makes sense because employees are based around the country, even the world, and so keeping office space would be cost-prohibitive. For others, WFH is seen as an essential part of a competitive incentives package, particularly for Millennial and Generation Z employees. And now, of course, WFH has become a reality for businesses of all types and sizes, including healthcare providers, say VerityStream’s Lisa Rothmuller, AVP for Consulting Services, and Kay Lynn Akers, Consulting Advisor.

Set realistic expectations about WFH for everyone involved

There are many other areas to consider when mapping out what’s expected in a WFH setting, Rothmuller says.

“When the decision is made to become remote, you need to have policies and set expectations regarding the work schedule for your remote employees. If you're a medical staff office, a CVO or an office that supports them and you're available between certain working hours, then plan the remote coverage for those hours as well,” she explains. “If one employee works 7-to-4 in the office, then those are the expected hours they will be available and working at home. Be sure that those are communicated and tracked and when there are slips in coverage time, talk to the employee to be sure they're clear on what those expectations are.”

“It's also important to identify the tools that will be used during those set work hours,” she continues. “For example, if a medical staff coordinator typically uses their credentialing software during those hours, it's expected that while they are in working from home, they are in the system as well. Do they need to be available by phone chat, email as well during those hours? Make sure this is clear with each of your remote employees.”

Short- and long-term tips

And finally, some tips and tricks to help people settle into a WFH environment, and to achieve success if they continue to work remotely over time.

Treat WFH as you would going into the office.

Get up, get dressed, go to work. Does your attire really matter when you're working at home? Maybe not as much, but it certainly does help with routine and structure.

Flexibility is key.

These are very challenging times. Remind staff that we're all contributing to help get through these times and that you may need to flex in your roles and responsibilities in the short term.

Stay connected with co-workers.

Setting up fun events like fitness challenges to keep people connected during this time is really important.

Set up virtual meetings with staff to bring everyone on the same page with the changes daily.

It’s also not too soon to begin considering the lessons employees and employers are learning now. When the pandemic ends, what will be next in terms of remote work? A result of this forced experience may result in more employers having WFH as a popular and effective option moving forward, Akers says.

“Your employees are going to feel that they're trusted, that you've trusted them to do their work at home,” she says. “And it also gives them flexibility. Maybe if it doesn't matter that I work 8-to-5, I can start work at 6 a.m. because I have a dental appointment in the middle of my day. So I have that flexibility to work maybe when it's convenient, as long as it doesn't conflict with me completing my work.”

Learn more about how VerityStream provides Credentialing, Privileging, Enrollment, and Evaluation for Health Systems and Health Plans.