Best Practices for Healthcare Labor Management

August 28, 2020

Create operational efficiency in your healthcare facility by using configured reporting in your healthcare scheduling software.

Healthcare administrators deal with a tremendous amount of pressure day in and day out as they work tirelessly to ensure that their healthcare facility is operating at the highest level of efficiency at all times. An important factor in how well a healthcare facility thrives is by tracking every aspect of daily operations, from scheduling to ordering supplies and everything in between.

To achieve operational efficiency, you need to be able to measure, track, and report. This includes time on and off the clock, overtime spending, agency reliance, attendance, and shortages or “deficit demands” in your schedule.

The biggest dilemma to healthcare administrators in accomplishing all of this is finding the time to complete these very necessary but time-consuming operational tasks while other important daily duties continue to come in. Even the most organized admins and scheduling managers are often left to wonder if feeling overwhelmed is just another part of the job.

There is a better way.

Rather than waste more time on outdated manual scheduling methods, consider implementing healthcare scheduling software to help streamline and simplify your entire workforce management process. Doing so may give you the time you need to get back on track and focus on other areas of importance that are vying for your attention.

Online scheduling software can help you:

Reduce Time Spent on Scheduling

Online scheduling software dramatically reduces time spent on scheduling. Automating recurring scheduling tasks prevents a fair amount of the major scheduling conflicts typically associated with healthcare staff scheduling. By utilizing rotation schedules, allowing rules-based shift swaps, and streamlining your time-off request process, a lot of the work will already be done for you.

Manage Overtime

With online scheduling software, overtime alerts are built into the system which allows scheduling managers to see at a glance those employees who still need hours within a pay period and those who are rapidly approaching overtime thresholds. Scheduling software also allows overtime hours to be more evenly distributed in addition to providing easy tracking of overtime spending. This reporting helps to address overtime issues before they become a problem.

Reduce Agency Reliance by Optimizing Staff

While it may be convenient to call an agency to fill an open shift, this convenience comes at a hefty price. With online scheduling software, you can easily align and optimize your current staff by always ensuring you have the proper coverage and credentials on the floor. In doing so you will reduce your need to use an agency for last minute gaps in coverage because you predicted the needs of your unit accordingly.

Provide Complete Schedule Transparency

With a web-based scheduling platform, management can see the entire schedule in real time, even if you’re managing the schedule for multiple units, departments, and locations.

Additionally, staff can check their schedules 24/7 from any mobile device with internet access keeping them well informed of their shift times. Schedules can easily be posted in advance which typically leads to fewer shift changes and swaps because staff have more time to plan around their projected work schedule.

Manage Credentials

By implementing scheduling software, you can easily keep track of staff credentials and licensure in the employee portal and allow only those who have certain credentials to fill certain open shifts depending on patient needs. Reminders of upcoming expiration dates as well as professional development and upcoming training sessions and classes can all be organized effortlessly within the platform, and you can choose to send reminders out for all of it.

Allow for Self-Scheduling with Guidelines

Self-scheduling is a great feature that allows employees to pick up shifts within their licensure and qualifications with pre-set guidelines and rules set by management, giving employees a sense of freedom and flexibility while still ensuring individual work targets and patient needs are being met.

Shift Swapping with Guidelines

Allowing employees to swap shifts with employees who hold the same credentials is key to taking full advantage of this amazing software solution. What used to be a time-consuming process of marking someone out of a shift and finding someone to fill it is no more. Hand over the power to fill these gaps by letting your employees manage releasing a shift for someone else to pick up. Pre-defined rules and guidelines set by management are in place to ensure the shifts are balanced by only allowing those who meet the necessary credentials to be able to pick up that open shift.

Advanced Customizable Reports

Managers instantly gain access to a suite of real-time, downloadable, and customizable reports for advanced labor management. Not only that, but with API integrations, you can seamlessly transfer important data into your Schedule360 reports giving you a real-time look at the big picture. Imagine having everything you need already organized and waiting for you in one easy-to-find location.

The best practices for labor management are easily achieved with online scheduling software by Schedule360.