Like so many others, we salute the doctors, nurses, and other medical workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Their dedication and courage continue to inspire our nation, and they deserve all of attention they have received.
But there is another group of healthcare professionals who also deserve our gratitude and admiration, yet are too often overlooked.
We’re talking about the people who dedicate themselves to ensuring the financial health of the provider organizations they serve.
By securing the funds required to pay doctors’ and nurses’ salaries—and cover the costs of the facilities, equipment, and supplies they need—healthcare’s billing and coding experts and other financial professionals make advanced, lifesaving patient care a reality.
Like their medical colleagues, healthcare’s financial teams have been deeply affected by this unprecedented medical, social, and economic crisis, both professionally and personally.
In addition to dealing with the stress of increased workloads and rapid changes in payer regulations, policies, and requirements, those who continue to work in healthcare facilities often face higher risks of exposure to the coronavirus. Others struggle to perform their critical and demanding professional duties from home while simultaneously caring for and educating children who can no longer be sent off to school or daycare.
And many others, especially those who work for groups specializing in care considered “non-urgent” or “elective,” have been placed on unpaid furlough until some uncertain future date. After dedicating their careers to making sure their organizations had the financial resources to provide the healthcare their patients need, they now find themselves wondering where the money to care for their own families will come from.
We know the people in healthcare’s financial professions well. We built our business to serve them, and we work closely with many of them every day. Some are close friends. Their professionalism, expertise, and commitment to their organizations and to their mission in the healthcare field continue to inspire us.
If you’re one of them, please know that we’re thinking of you and all you must be going through in this difficult time. If you’d like to reach out to us, please do so.
Whether you want to talk through a challenge you’re facing in your work or just need someone to listen and understand, we’ll be proud to serve you in any way we can.
