Industry Trends in Healthcare Documentation – Split Shifts

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Being an HDS is one of the jobs that truly can be done from home.  You can essentially work from anywhere if you have a computer and high-speed internet available.  One of the problems, however, has been the ever-looming TAT (turn-around time) that services and facilities have to maintain on reports.  Some need to be back within a few hours, while others can linger for longer.

Split shifts have begun to resurface more and more within the industry because of the inability to predict workflows and then consequently assure TAT is met.  The split shift has been around for a long time but few of us think to use it in today’s workplace.  Some companies actually prefer those who work split shifts because it guarantees that there will be work for everyone at certain times during the day, and it keeps that ever-ticking TAT clock moving.

As in most things, this type of work arrangement has its advantages and disadvantages.  The main advantage is that you can sometimes pick your own hours – offer to work 2 or 4 hours at this time during the day, then do the same at another time during the day.  Dependent upon the company, you might even receive a bonus for a portion of those shifts.  Take someone who dislikes working 8 hours on Sundays.  Working an hour on Thursday, 1-1/2 hours on Friday and Saturday (or any variation of this) leaves a more tolerable 4-hour shift on Sunday (or less if you work more on the other days).  The key is to have the shifts or flexing mutually agreed upon by the HDS and the employer.  Split shifts allow us to cook dinner, attend our kids’ events, or even catch up on laundry or a nap!

The disadvantages to working a split are relatively few.  Some argue that you have to set up, dial in and get started more times.  However, if you’ve become adept at online transcription, it’s really not that labor intensive.  Others argue that you barely get started sometimes and you’re finished.  If that’s the case, consider splitting into 4 and 4-hour blocks.  Of note, sometimes working shorter segments actually increases your efficiency and your speed.  It can allow you to be more focused because the length of time you are working is shorter, reducing errors and helping you be more alert.  You can accomplish a lot in a little amount of time and boost your line count if you use these little windows efficiently.

Working at home is definitely a trend that will continue within the industry for the foreseeable future since work is rarely done in-house these days.  Splitting up a shift may seem cumbersome but in some ways, it keeps monotony at bay and slots work into nice, manageable packages, which for some, can be a real plus.