Working together to ensure frontline healthcare workers are safe and healthy
By Labcorp
Background
Like many hospitals and health systems, a large academic health system with 13 hospitals and many practices and clinics was facing hiring and staffing challenges. The health system typically hires 200-250 new employees each week and was relying on temporary staff to fill the gaps. In October 2022, the health system identified a critical need to shorten the onboarding process, which historically had taken 7-21 days. The health system approached Labcorp to help optimize the laboratory portion of their onboarding process.
Understanding the health system’s challenges
To improve the onboarding process, Labcorp first worked with the health system to evaluate the current state.
Under the previous process, new hires would make an appointment and arrive at employee health locations where they would complete paperwork, provide specimens for required laboratory testing and complete other onboarding requirements.
The previous process used multiple labs to complete the testing, and the entire process could take from one to three weeks to complete and report results.
Lack of staffing in critical areas of the hospital can adversely impact patient care. To fill staffing gaps, the health system relied on temporary workers and staffing agencies.
A collaborative solution leveraging strengths
Changing the order of onboarding tasks
The first opportunity identified to optimize was rethinking the order of onboarding tasks to allow new hires to complete lab testing before arriving at employee health locations. Once an offer was accepted, candidates were given three days to visit a Labcorp location for sample collection. When they arrived on-site, the health system already would have lab results and could continue onboarding.
Leveraging Labcorp’s network
By partnering with Labcorp, candidates could visit any of Labcorp’s more than 2,000 patient service centers (PSCs) nationwide for sample collection. For added convenience, the health system provided local, new hires with a list of the 58 closest PSCs. This offered more flexibility in terms of location, hours, walk-in service and appointment scheduling. Further, it removed burden from the health system’s 10 in-house locations.
Customizing lab services to the health system’s needs
Labcorp created a custom workflow for the health system’s new hires to deliver a positive experience when visiting Labcorp PSCs. Labcorp PSC staff and a dedicated customer service team were trained to address any questions or concerns new hires had.
Program impact
By implementing this new process, a candidate arrived on site to complete their final onboarding tasks with labs completed. This reduced the final visit with employee health to an average of one hour.
In the first 10 months of implementing the program, onboarding time improved significantly. What had taken up to three weeks now typically happened in one – and that one visit was more efficient, leading to a 70% increase in same-day clearance.
This transformation improved the new hire experience, helped reduce reliance on temporary staffing and reduced the burden on the employee health department and hospital staff.
- The onboarding experience was improved for new hires
- Burden was taken off employee health staff, allowing them to focus on other tasks
- Healthcare staff was comprised of more permanent team members and fewer temporary staff, boosting team morale
- The patient experience was improved, with care performed by more permanent staff
| Before | With Labcorp | |
|---|---|---|
| Total onboarding time* | 7-21 days | 1-8 days |
| Access options for sample collection | 10 in-house locations | 58 regional Labcorp PSCs, plus access to 2,000 PSCs for out of area hires |
| New hires cleared same day | 0% | 70% |
Next steps for the partnership
Looking ahead, both organizations aim to expand the partnership. The health system also provides medical clearance services for more than 400 external clients and is exploring opportunities to collaborate with Labcorp to offer more efficient lab testing services.
Partner with Labcorp today
Partner with Labcorp and leverage our extensive PSC network and legacy of process management for quicker, more efficient, and less costly onboarding processes.
To learn more about our employer offerings, acute care laboratory management, or our more than 2,000 patient service centers located within miles of 95% of the U.S. population, contact us today.