How Caribbean CX Provider, itel, Is Helping to Solve America’s Nursing Crisis
By Kelly Jenson, President of Business Development and Delivery
It was January, during a senior executive strategy meeting, when I first broached the idea of getting into virtual healthcare. We were sitting around the conference room in Montego Bay talking about different strategies to propel itel’s next stage of growth, when I put forth the idea of telehealth, finally suggesting we go “all in”. It wasn’t an obvious choice. We had some experience in healthcare delivery, but this would be on a scale never seen before, not just for itel, but for Jamaica and the Caribbean. Yet, I felt the timing could not have been more ideal. The U.S. is facing a critical shortage of healthcare practitioners, especially registered nurses, and it seemed like the next logical market primed for exploration.
America would need over a million new nurses by 2030, a challenge that would not be easy to overcome. The stresses of the pandemic already led to a devastating exit of over 100,000 registered nurses, and even after it was over, not all returned, leaving existing staff overworked and burnt out. Surveys show that almost 40% of U.S. nurses are planning to retire or leave the profession in the next 5 years, at a time when 1 in 5 Americans will be over the age of 65. And unlike before, where we could count on foreign-born nurses to fill the gap, current political convictions and policies, especially towards immigration, have made that especially challenging.
It is a full-blown healthcare crisis. The nurse shortage puts Americans’ health at risk, particularly in rural communities where many hospitals are already severely understaffed. Without enough nurses, surgery wait times will increase, critical treatments could be delayed, and hospitals will certainly face closures. In the end, it will only worsen patient outcomes.
But, virtual nurses are a possible solution. They can supplement in-house staff, and can assist with all sorts of medical assessments and consultations, including administrative, non-clinical work, such as insurance billing and medical documentation, things that would normally take half of a nurse’s shift; and the good news is that, as a customer experience (CX) provider in the Caribbean, we are uniquely positioned to help with this emerging need for more telehealth. We have the proximity to the U.S, a deep affinity for American culture, combined with a long background in customer care and hospitality. While sophisticated telehealth platforms now make it possible for many patient services to be effectively outsourced.
From the patient side, there is already a level of familiarity with telehealth technology and even Caribbean nurses. In fact, according to the Migration Policy Institute, the Caribbean is the #2 regional source for foreign-born nurses in the U.S, with over 16% of America’s nurses coming from Caribbean descent. Jamaican nurses are already highly regarded for their level of education, excellent communication skills and English proficiency, which is essential for healthcare delivery, and their training is aligned with American healthcare standards and policies, with licenses that allow them to practice in the U.S.
To me, virtual nursing is a natural evolution for itel. As a Jamaica-based company, we are already well established in the region. We have everything needed to deliver health services compared to what you get in the U.S. We have depth and breadth of experience working with large, complex industries, such as hospitality, insurance, and financial services. We can develop and use cutting-edge technology and can rapidly scale to meet the needs of our clients. In the end, we can provide more cost-effective services to regions struggling to meet the needs of their patients amid funding cuts.
But, most critically, in Jamaica, we have the nursing talent, and that’s what cemented our resolve to get into virtual healthcare. That’s when itel Med was officially born. Part of that development involved integrating the right telehealth platform, one that could deliver the kind of comprehensive care we envisioned. Our virtual platform comes with all sorts of devices that patients can use at home to help our nurses make more accurate and real-time health assessments and care recommendations. Things like remote monitoring devices that measure blood oxygen levels, heart rate and blood pressure, as well as blood sugar levels. Our cameras even come with AI-powered movement detection, to help nurses assess range of movement.
It’s really quite amazing what we’re able to do and I invite you to experience itel Med for yourself. If you happen to be attending this year’s American Hospital Association (AHA) Leadership Summit, we will have a dedicated booth where you can chat with one of our Jamaica-based virtual nurses using our telehealth platform. There’s even an opportunity to try some of our peripherals that allow you to do things like upload your blood pressure readings.
Ultimately, this service will help a lot of Americans, especially in rural or remote areas, where it’s not so easy to access hospitals or clinics. Instead of traveling great distances to seek care, patients can receive everything from pre-op assessments to long-term care management, all from the comfort of their home. We can structure our nursing services to meet any number of needs, and it can even help with staff retention as our virtual teams can offload some of the paperwork from on-site nurses, so they can focus on direct patient care.
It really is an exciting time for us. I see virtual health services becoming one of our main offerings, as we expand into other countries, other delivery locations and languages, as well as other verticals within the health industry, such as psychiatric and wellness services. Not only is it a way to help solve the U.S. nursing shortage, but it’s an opportunity to bring the experience and expertise of different countries and different populations to the benefit of those who need it.
Want to learn more about itel Med? Contact our team!
