Call It “Outsourcing”
Connecting sleep laboratories and technicians: could this be the single most important new business practice to embrace?
For sleep laboratories looking to outsource their sleep scoring functions, SleepScore.com connects experienced sleep laboratory managers and technicians together in a virtual world.
With many traditional business models changing because of Internet technology, why should geographical boundaries hinder sleep laboratories when it comes to scoring sleep studies? Robin Palmer, co-founder of SleepScore.com, posed this simple question and came up with an answer. Today, the web site (www.sleepscore.com) facilitates the outsourcing of scoring for sleep studies, fostering a direct connection between sleep laboratories and scorers in one virtual location.
Whether it is sleep laboratory managers looking to outsource the scoring of sleep studies, or sleep scorers who wish to find more work that let’s them utilize their expertise, SleepScore.com is a web-based service and platform for connecting laboratories with scorers. It enables the auctioning process (posting, bidding, transferring, and payment) of sleep studies between laboratories and scorers (scoring technicians and scoring centers), while providing highly secure data transfer and payment processing. “SleepScore is just getting started and we’re pleased to announce that it has over 400 available scorers, a number that is growing daily,” says Palmer. “Scorers have joined and are available from a variety of specialties and backgrounds, the majority of which are certified and average 10+ years of experience.
Scoring on demand
This is a great way for sleep laboratories to get scoring on demand and build an extended network of scorers,” adds Palmer. “As sleep laboratories outsource studies within Sleep-Score, a list of preferred scorers will inevitably take shape, providing a trusted group that can be relied on when needed.”
Sleep laboratories upload studies for bidding and specify key information and terms, allowing bidders to understand the special requirements and qualifications needed; as bids are received from scorers they are able to review bid amounts, ratings and profiles, and accept their chosen scorer. It’s free to post studies for auction, once a bid is accepted, money is placed (via PayPal) and only changes hands after services are rendered and ultimately accepted. You can communicate with the bidders, see who has bid on the job, and communicate with that scorer. “As soon as sleep laboratories accept that bid, we encourage them to communicate with that scorer. This allows both parties to seek clarification required to complete the work properly and efficiently.”
Technicians who wish to score, can visit the website, create a profile, and are ultimately rated by the outsourcing laboratory after services are rendered. We are confident that this will be a trusted and welcome solution for many labs to optimize efficiency and patient care, by reducing wait times and improving resource utilization.
SleepScore is not only being approached by laboratories and hospitals looking for a solution to backlogs, but is also garnering interest from parties looking to start or grow laboratories. Palmer views SleepScore.com as a place to conveniently work with highly qualified virtual scoring staff, reduce overhead, and increase patients.
A different perspective
The founders of Sleepscore.com are entrepreneurs who have extensive backgrounds in the areas of IT, web services development, information security, marketing, legal and finance.
When developing the idea for SleepScore, they noticed two critical items in the industry that when combined, had the potential to solve a need in the market to reduce backlog. First, outsourcing was establishing itself as a valid option and with anticipated demand; laboratory managers would ultimately face debilitating capacity constraints.
Finally, when scorers obtained one universal designation allowing them to score for laboratories regardless of geography, it meant the work could in essence be performed, anywhere, anytime. We had seen what labs were doing to overcome access issues to scoring techs, and it seemed to us that there had to be a simpler solution. The only issue facing the industry was a middle layer solution provider that could coordinate efficient matching of skills and delivery of files and results, and provide an unlimited supply of service providers. The team at Sleep-Score comes from various backgrounds and disciplines outside the sleep industry. We are idea developers and technology creators. Much like any other idea that we have worked on, SleepScore became an intelligent mash up of various concepts rolled into one final idea.”
Instant “on” solution
Palmer calls SleepScore an instant “on” solution for both laboratories and scoring providers in that there is nothing to learn, buy, or download for those who wish to try. The entire solution is web based, and there is no charge to create a profile and participate. “We have been compared to Ebay, Match.com, and Elance.com,” says Palmer. “These are all auction sites or sites that match need and demand. We are similar to auction sites in that services are bid on, but that is where the analogy ends. Effectively, the services these sites provide end when a match is made; consequently, unlike these sites, we provide delivery of the products—in this case a medical record, and corresponding results. The core of what we do is enabling laboratories and scoring technicians to find each other. We provide the conduit for the two sides to connect or match-up on work to be done and at a fair price, and provide the means for this work to be transferred—and of course a safe environment and easy e-commerce which are vital to making this happen.”
For more information, visit www.sleepscore.com.