Top 5 Benefits of Outsourcing Sleep Study Scoring

Top 5 Benefits of Outsourcing Sleep Study Scoring

Today’s business models are heavily dependent on outsourcing considering the cost efficiency and efficacy it brings to a process. Even in the healthcare industry, several functions are increasingly being outsourced to reduce the burden on under staffed hospitals to improve efficiency and patient outcomes.

Sleep study is one such area where outsourcing sleep study scoring can have several benefits for both the patients and sleep labs including timely reporting, high quality and reduced workload. The process involves transferring patient data online in a HIPAA compliant fashion duly protecting patients’ privacy, scoring by sleep specialists hired by the offshore service provider and returning results to the sleep lab in a pre-established timeframe. Most sleep scoring companies only hire sleep scorers with prior experience, as quality assurance is a big differentiating factor for these companies.

Leveraging technology to improve patient outcomes is the only way forward for the healthcare industry. Here are top 5 benefits of outsourcing sleep study scoring:

Overcoming staff shortages – Sleep labs across the country are over burdened and understaffed, thanks to a shortage of trained staff and increasing awareness of sleep disorders amongst the population combined with an aging populace. Outsourcing sleep scoring can free up more staff for better patient care. By reducing the workload, it can be an effective measure against staffing issues by allowing employees to take time off and avoid extra shifts preventing employee burn out and improving performance as well as freeing up time for patient follow up.

Faster results – Outsourcing sleep scoring ensures faster turnaround time pivotal to patient health, as undue delays only prolong the treatment. Sleep scoring facilities have dedicated professionals only engaged in analyzing the transferred data resulting in faster assessments meeting strict quality criterion.

Cutting down operational costs – Outsourcing sleep scoring can cut down operational costs by alleviating staff shortages and reducing costs of training employees for sleep scoring. It also increases profitability by reducing overheads in terms of payouts and managing human resource. Outsourcing sleep scoring is also much more cost effective, as off-site service providers usually provide expert services at more affordable rates.

Clearing backlogs quickly – Sleep scoring facilities provide the convenience of high turn around time without compromising on quality. Outsourcing sleep scoring to a third party can help clear backlog quickly with most service providers delivering results in 24-48 hours. This helps physicians to timely diagnose patients resulting in improved care.

Improved patient outcomes – Outsourcing sleep scoring can lead to better patient outcomes in terms of improved care and patient satisfaction due to faster turn around time and freeing up time for sleep specialists at the lab to provide personalized support and follow up with patients.

With more than 80 different kinds of sleep disorders identified, the demand for sleep study is on the rise. As more and more people recognize the importance of a good night’s sleep, sleep labs will have to evolve to accommodate more patients in cost effective manner without compromising on quality and delivering timely results. Sleep scoring outsourcing can be an effective way to achieve these outcomes.