Nurses, actuaries in big demand at BPOs
By Shilpa Phadnis, TNN | 4 Jul,
2013, 12.34PM IST
Accenture,
Wipro, iGate and Cognizant are hiring US registered nurses who have cleared the
National Council Licensure Examination in big numbers.
BANGALORE: Healthcare is emerging as a major opportunity forBPO companies, and high-end healthcare contracts are creating
demand for actuaries, medical coders, US registered nurses, medical writers and
biostatisticians at salaries that might be the envy ofIT professionals.
Accenture, Wipro, iGate andCognizantare hiringUS registered nurses(RNs) who have cleared the NationalCouncil Licensure Examination, an exam for licensing of nurses in the US, in big numbers.
"These nurses are paid up to Rs 3 lakh per annum at the entry level; this goes up to Rs 10-14 lakh per annum for those with 6 years of experience," says consulting and advisory firm Knowledgefaber. Unmesh Pawar, HR lead for BPO in Accenture, says health insurers are beginning to outsource pre-service nursing and care management, creating demand for US registered nurses. In pre-service nursing, nurses assess patient needs and determine treatment methods, provide authorizations and/or denials based on clinical documentation review and medical necessity, and provide explanations and information to others on difficult issues.
Experienced actuaries, who design insurance, determine future risk and make price decisions, are paid up to Rs 20 lakh per annum. To become a certified actuary, a student has to clear 14 subjects.
Some companies insist on a certification from the Institute of Actuaries of India, Institute of Actuaries of Australia, Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (UK), or the Society of Actuaries in the US. Traditionally, BPOs' healthcare work focused on low-end processes such as billing and maintaining healthcare records of patients. Now, the demand for regulatory compliance has unlocked new outsourcing opportunities. "The healthcare industry has seen regulatory changes including the transition from 1CD9 to ICD10, creation of healthinsuranceexchanges, and compliance with the new US Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act," says Amit Goel, CEO of Knowledgefaber.
The ICD (International Classification of Diseases) code is an alphanumeric designation given to every diagnosis and description of symptoms attributed to every human being. The ICD-9 code set is over 30 years old and has become outdated. It is no longer considered usable for today's treatment, reporting, and payment processes; and the format limits the ability to expand the code set and add new codes. From October this year, ICD10 replaces ICD9.
Cognizant has approximately 2,000 doctors, nurses, clinicians and biostatisticians. WNS is said to have one of the largest actuarial teams in India, of over 160 actuaries. Healthcare focused BPO Omega is adding 150-180 people every month to its 4,000-member team.
Cognizant recently augmented its healthcare practice with the acquisition of Medicall that has 600 licensed nurses, physicians, and pharmacists, delivering customized medical management solutions to US-based healthcare payer organizations. "As part of this acquisition, our healthcare business process services operations have been accredited by Utilization Review Accreditation Commission that enables us to offer specialized clinical services, further extending our reach into the health insurer's value chain," said R Chandrasekaran, group chief executive, technology and operations, in Cognizant.
Keshav R Murugesh, group CEO, WNS, said the company has adopted the 'incentivize-people-to-becomespecialists' route to build its pool of actuaries. "We hire specialists such as base-level actuaries and encourage them to take the actuarial course to completion by incentivizing them," he said.
Accenture, Wipro, iGate andCognizantare hiringUS registered nurses(RNs) who have cleared the NationalCouncil Licensure Examination, an exam for licensing of nurses in the US, in big numbers.
"These nurses are paid up to Rs 3 lakh per annum at the entry level; this goes up to Rs 10-14 lakh per annum for those with 6 years of experience," says consulting and advisory firm Knowledgefaber. Unmesh Pawar, HR lead for BPO in Accenture, says health insurers are beginning to outsource pre-service nursing and care management, creating demand for US registered nurses. In pre-service nursing, nurses assess patient needs and determine treatment methods, provide authorizations and/or denials based on clinical documentation review and medical necessity, and provide explanations and information to others on difficult issues.
Experienced actuaries, who design insurance, determine future risk and make price decisions, are paid up to Rs 20 lakh per annum. To become a certified actuary, a student has to clear 14 subjects.
Some companies insist on a certification from the Institute of Actuaries of India, Institute of Actuaries of Australia, Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (UK), or the Society of Actuaries in the US. Traditionally, BPOs' healthcare work focused on low-end processes such as billing and maintaining healthcare records of patients. Now, the demand for regulatory compliance has unlocked new outsourcing opportunities. "The healthcare industry has seen regulatory changes including the transition from 1CD9 to ICD10, creation of healthinsuranceexchanges, and compliance with the new US Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act," says Amit Goel, CEO of Knowledgefaber.
The ICD (International Classification of Diseases) code is an alphanumeric designation given to every diagnosis and description of symptoms attributed to every human being. The ICD-9 code set is over 30 years old and has become outdated. It is no longer considered usable for today's treatment, reporting, and payment processes; and the format limits the ability to expand the code set and add new codes. From October this year, ICD10 replaces ICD9.
Cognizant has approximately 2,000 doctors, nurses, clinicians and biostatisticians. WNS is said to have one of the largest actuarial teams in India, of over 160 actuaries. Healthcare focused BPO Omega is adding 150-180 people every month to its 4,000-member team.
Cognizant recently augmented its healthcare practice with the acquisition of Medicall that has 600 licensed nurses, physicians, and pharmacists, delivering customized medical management solutions to US-based healthcare payer organizations. "As part of this acquisition, our healthcare business process services operations have been accredited by Utilization Review Accreditation Commission that enables us to offer specialized clinical services, further extending our reach into the health insurer's value chain," said R Chandrasekaran, group chief executive, technology and operations, in Cognizant.
Keshav R Murugesh, group CEO, WNS, said the company has adopted the 'incentivize-people-to-becomespecialists' route to build its pool of actuaries. "We hire specialists such as base-level actuaries and encourage them to take the actuarial course to completion by incentivizing them," he said.
