After-hours triage plays a critical role in home health and hospice care, allowing patients to receive fast and flexible care. As the demand continues to grow, providers face challenges like maintaining high-quality patient care while regulating the operational costs associated with 24/7 availability. Now more than ever, low-cost triage solutions are needed to support an organization’s financial health and help providers extend their reach to more patients (JMIR).
With three modern cost-saving approaches to after-hours triage—Direct Triage, Hybrid Triage, and Centralized Triage—providers can customize their triage strategy to fit the specific needs of their home health and hospice services, regardless of size. By understanding the benefits and challenges of each model, organizations can optimize their after-hours operations, enhance patient outcomes, and achieve substantial cost savings with ease.
After-Hours Triage in Home Health & Hospice
After-hours triage is the perfect cost-effective solution for enhancing work-life balance, reducing burnout, and solving staffing problems for clinical staff while improving a patient’s access to healthcare day or night.
1. Direct Triage
Direct Triage is a straightforward, familiar approach that allows home health and hospice providers to efficiently manage after-hours patient calls using outsourced triage nurses. Outsourced nurses who use triage software designed specifically by nurses and for nurses can handle patient inquiries, stick to organizational protocols, and integrate patient information into in-house Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems, patient calls are resolved faster and often with just one call. With Direct Triage, the on-call process is easily streamlined, reducing the need for excessive on-call staffing and ultimately cutting operational costs.
Key Features of Direct Triage:
- Faster call handling improves patient satisfaction and ensures consistent adherence to protocols.
- Integrating patient data into EMR systems eliminates manual data entry, reducing errors and saving time.
- Allows organizations to restructure on-call staffing, reducing reliance on higher-cost clinical staff for after-hours coverage.
Cost Saving Strategies
With the blend of specialized software, efficient call handling, and strategic staffing adjustments, Direct Triage is an effective solution for maximizing after-hours care while keeping expenses in check. By analyzing triage reports, organizations can identify and reduce unnecessary after-hours calls, cutting down the overall volume that needs to be managed. The data from these calls can also refine daytime workflows, allowing providers to proactively address patient needs before they escalate. This strategy reduces the likelihood of after-hours emergencies and helps lower care costs.
Case Study Highlight: Bristol Hospice & Direct After-Hours Triage
Since implementing CareXM’s direct triage services, Bristol Hospice has reduced expenses, maintained flat costs, and achieved a 10 percent growth rate. CEO Hyrum Kirton noted, “Once fully adopted, we’re expecting to save about 30 percent over our prior triage and call expenses.”
A key improvement has been the reduction in after-hours call volume, which has enhanced staff satisfaction. With CareXM’s team of on-demand triage nurses, Bristol Hospice has effectively handled the increased census without overwhelming its in-house staff. This strategic move has maintained high standards of care and improved operational workflows, showcasing how effective after-hours triage services can drive growth and elevate care quality.
2. Hybrid Triage
The Hybrid Triage model combines the strengths of in-house staff with advanced call routing technology to create a flexible and efficient system for managing patient calls. This mixed approach uses intelligent call routing to direct patient inquiries toward available staff in real-time, making sure the most appropriate team members handle calls. When on-call staff is occupied, the system can reroute additional patient calls to field nurses or other available staff using a mobile app with secure messaging, masked dialing, and location services. This model can also be combined with on-demand backup after-hours triage services when the entire team is engaged, providing an additional layer of cost-effective support.
Key Features of Hybrid Triage:
- Optimizes call distribution among existing staff, reducing patient wait times and increasing care delivery efficiency.
- Mobile app functionality keeps staff connected and responsive to patient needs, regardless of location.
- Effectively serves more patients without requiring additional hires by maximizing staff availability and skills.
- Provides an option for backup triage services to ensure uninterrupted patient care, even during peak times.
Cost Saving Strategies
Hybrid Triage reduces costs by balancing nurse operations using technology to automate staff efficiently, ultimately minimizing unnecessary patient wait times. Through intelligent call routing and tracking, providers can make informed decisions to refine their workflows further and optimize resources. Hybrid triage lowers costs and serves more patients by providing a balanced mix of fast and flexible call distribution while helping clinical staff work at the top of their licenses.
3. Centralized Triage
Centralized Triage is an ideal model for larger home health and hospice providers that operate their own in-house triage teams. Providers use proprietary triage software to manage patient calls from a central location, streamlining operations across the entire organization. By unifying the triage process, providers can ensure that patient inquiries are handled consistently and quickly, with the same high standards of care found in Direct Triage models. Centralized triage works to improve the management of patient calls and allows local nurses to focus more on face-to-face patient care, strengthening the care process.
Key Features of Centralized Triage:
- Centralized patient call management leads to faster call handling and adherence to clinical protocols.
- Redistribution of local nurses to focus more on direct patient interactions, maximizing staff efficiency.
- Integrating secure virtual visits and automated patient engagement tools without a dedicated app to enhance the care experience.
Cost Saving Strategies
Centralized Triage increases on-call efficiency, enabling providers to support a higher patient census without the need for additional staffing. The ability to enhance after-hours triage services with automated tools improves patient access to care and reduces overhead costs. As larger providers achieve these significant savings with the use of existing resources, they can overcome continuous challenges and improve their quality of care.
Other Ways to Augment Nurse Triage Services
In addition to these strategies, there are specific tools that can further enhance nurse triage services. App-free, secure virtual visits allow providers to address patient concerns in real-time without the need for in-person consultations. These virtual visits enable triage nurses to manage more routine check-ins without travel time and costs, and more time to devote to patients who truly need hands-on, in-person care during the day or after-hours.
Another way to enhance nurse after-hours triage is to use automated patient engagement tools. For example, automated tuck-in calls and weekend medication refill reminders help improve efficiency by proactively engaging patients and resolving issues during the day when more staff are available to distribute the workload, further reducing after-hours call volume. With the right after-hours triage tools and staffing support, providers can streamline operations and improve patient satisfaction throughout their journey.
Looking for After-Hours Triage Support? Call CareXM.
Finding the right partner to manage after-hours triage services is fundamental for patient satisfaction and operational efficiency in the space of home health and hospice. The right triage model can significantly impact a provider’s ability to deliver high-quality care while controlling costs. Whether through Direct Triage, Hybrid Triage, or Centralized Triage, the goal remains the same: to ensure that patients receive quality care while lowering overhead costs.
CareXM is the premier partner for leading home health and hospice providers seeking to enhance their after-hours experience management. With a deep understanding of unique provider challenges, CareXM offers solutions tailored to your specific needs, whether you require a fully managed service or support for your in-house team. Our innovative approach, supported by one-of-a-kind technology, allows every patient interaction to be handled with the highest standards of care. By partnering with CareXM, you can confidently manage after-hours triage, improve patient outcomes, and achieve meaningful cost savings, allowing you to focus on what truly matters—providing compassionate care to those who need it most.