The Pandemic Brings Added Stress to Daily LifeĪ big thing to keep in mind right now is that there a several added stressors to daily life, all added on top of working employees’ normal fulltime jobs-jobs which may also be shifting in focus or demanding more energy than usual.
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Their work lives started to bleed into their personal lives and their personal lives start to bleed into their work lives. Coders normally able to separate work life from personal life were no longer able to as well as before. The loss of that outlet caused many to become short tempered, antsy, anxious, and depressed. When the shelter-in-place orders were given, it effectively put a stop to those activities.
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When working from home, the team has found that the best way to “stay sane” and to stay in touch is by being able to get together with friends or family outside of work and home. Mentally and emotionally, however, there was a lot that they had to adjust to-and not just for work. They had already been working from home for the majority of their time with the organization. When the directive came to begin working from home for the entire health information management (HIM) department, the coders had little to adjust to, physically. When COVID-19 came to the United States, the coders were already working from home and practicing social and physical distancing for the most part. The coding department at University of Utah Health has 24 inpatient coding professionals half live locally in the Salt Lake City area and the other half are spread across the United States.
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Many coding teams in healthcare facilities work remotely-and have done so for many years.