4 Reasons Why Hospital Scheduling Software is a Necessity

10 Nov, 2016 | Tags: , , , ,

4 Reasons Why Hospital Scheduling Software is a Necessity

Running a hospital is a major operation. If you are Johns Hopkins Hospital, it means dealing with over 10,000 employees, ranging from full-time nurses to part-time janitors. And that means 10,000 schedules. WhatTimeDoIWork.com aims to relieve that organizational burden by providing hospital scheduling software that is one of the most advanced on the market.

Employee scheduling software is no longer optional in the healthcare industry, but a necessity. Every patient deserves your full attention and care, which requires a full team. If that team means 200 nurses – and only 175 show up due to miscommunication – patients will be overlooked and tasks will fall through the cracks, which means mistakes may be made. And when it comes to saving lives, patients can’t afford mistakes.

4 Reason Why It is Necessary:

  1. One Click Scheduling:

Do your employees constantly call you asking for their schedules? Are you having to constantly ask them to be patient because you are still painfully laboring over writing out each shift?

Not anymore.

Instead of manually typing in each entry, WhatTimeDoIWork.com allows you to simply point and click to schedule your hospital staff. Our process is so streamlined, you will probably do a little dance in your chair out of pure excitement. If schedules change or members of your team call in sick, no more calling each one of them individually. The software will automatically notify each employee of the schedule changes, as well as allowing them 24/7 online access – No more calls asking “What Time Do I Work?”

Since hospitals run around the clock, we realize the importance of clear communication so every surgeon and surgical tech is on the same page – Ready to help patients and save lives.

  1. Conflict Free Schedules Every Time

There is no way to avoid employees requesting time-off or having varied availabilities due to second jobs, vacation time or sickness. This information can easily get lost in all of the other paperwork, so with our scheduling software, you can keep all of that information in an organized and simplified area…online. This way you have access to all schedule requests at anytime.

In the past, you would have to check your request books and calendars to know when you can schedule each staff member, but our program automatically sends conflict alerts while you are scheduling your employees so you don’t make a mistake.

Employees simply submit their requests online so it is displayed on their schedule instead of a scrap piece of paper. If you think this will make your life easier, your staff will be thankful too! Employees also receive automatic reminders about their shifts, so you can eliminate no shows.

When your whole team shows up, more patients can be seen, which means less time in the waiting room and higher patient satisfaction.

  1. Accessible Employee Contact Information

We keep your employee’s contact information in an organized online folder so when you need to contact 50 staff members, you can save yourself the time of searching down a contact list to find their numbers. You just type in their name and voilà.

An even larger undertaking is contacting your entire staff about weather conditions or a large catastrophe that will affect the ER that day. Good news. You have the option to simultaneously call every person in your contact list in seconds with one click. You can also send out mass emails and/or text messages to selected employees or your entire staff.

  1. Save More Money

You might be thinking…How does paying for a new program save me money? Well, it’s simple. Our software automatically calculates labor costs daily and/or weekly while you create your staff schedule so you can more accurately budget for the year.

It also saves you countless scheduling hours throughout your week, so you can devote more time to urgent tasks. You can even save, copy and reuse previous employee schedules if there is no need for changes. WhatTimeDoIWork.com caters the platform to fit your exact needs, so we work with your hospital team to make sure the site is as easy to use as possible for your employees.

If your hospital is in need of a scheduling software, sign up for a FREE trial today. Once you see the ease of the software, you won’t go back.

We provide pay-as-you-go pricing and require NO service contracts or additional fees. The software updates automatically and comes with a free program wizard to walk you through the learning curve. Help us help you give your patients the treatment they deserve by signing up for a 30 Day Free Trial today – No credit card needed!

Why Should You Use a Hospital Staffing Software?

21 Oct, 2016 | Tags: , , ,

Managing the staffing function in a hospital can be a demanding task. Even in a small health care institution, it can be hard to predict patient census with the aim of availing the right number of staff. The management requires the right scheduling tools to help them predict inpatient volumes and help them schedule their shifts more effectively. There are many fantastic features that this software offers and uses a variety of strategies that guarantees that the hospital is well staffed. To help streamline the process, a hospital staffing software should be used, as it provides fantastic features that help to simplify inpatient care. In the end, this software guarantees the patients of high quality care, while also getting the hospitals more organized. Here are reasons why you should consider using hospital-staffing software.

It allows for automated schedule creation

Some years ago, hospital administrators were scheduling medical staff by hand or within a self-made spreadsheet. Through using scheduling software, healthcare administrators can help simplify the entire process. This software is automated, and takes into account the needs of every staff member while allocating shifts.

Staff members can provide their opinions

In fact, every staff member who works in a hospital setting has their personal preferences that are unique from that of others. There are those who prefer working during the night while others would prefer nighttime shifts. The staff can input their requests, therefore relieving the administrators of the agony of having to follow up with each employee for their preferences. However, the system allows managers to have full control over the system because these requests may be blocked out on a day when the staffing is low or when there are other constraints.

It can be accessed from any internet-enabled device

It can be beneficial if physicians can access their working schedule anytime, anywhere. In most instances, these professionals juggle between private practice and working, so they need to stay informed through unhindered access to their schedules by using a smartphone or a tablet. If there are last time changes, the affected staff will be able to know of these changes quickly.

The system can be linked with the payroll

Competitive hospital staffing systems can be linked to the payroll, therefore enabling managers to track their employees around the clock. It is important to know that managers can link the system with the payroll system. This increases the speed and the rate of accuracy of computing employee dues and paying them on time. Because of this, payment of salaries and other emoluments can be done immediately, while minimizing the commission of errors.

Split shift capabilities

There are certain instances where split shifts may be necessary and these requests may emanate from the hospital or from some staff. The ability to split shifts is an incredibly important feature that a medical scheduling software may offer and shifts can be divided among service provides hassle free. This software is key to enhancing the efficiency and productivity of medical staff and that of the administrator. You should not take the convenience that this fantastic tool offers within your healthcare facility.

Decrease in wait time

Accurate scheduling helps to reduce hospital wait times, therefore resulting in a high level of satisfaction among the patients. It is a fact that the level of customer satisfaction that patients get is highly dependent on the staffing level. If the staffing level is at an acceptable level, patients will be attended to within the shortest time possible.

Increased employee satisfaction

There are many ways that hospital-staffing software helps to improve employee satisfaction. Through the input that employees offer, it is possible to schedule them based on their personal preferences. If they have a request for split shift, this can be honored, thanks to the feature, which the software for managing medical staff offers.

Reduces staffing costs

Overtime is quite expensive, and if not managed well can add up quickly. If you can eliminate overtime pay for physicians, nursing staff and other assistants, significant savings can be achieved. The system will avoid a scenario where an employee works for too many hours while others are working too few.

Conclusion

Healthcare facilities are under immense pressure to cut down on costs and improve their efficiency of service delivery to patients. They also want to ensure that their employees remain productive. To achieve these goals, using health-staffing software is necessary.

Scheduling Tips for Hospital Administrators

06 Sep, 2016 | Tags: ,

Technology advances, new healthcare regulations and an aging population have all created a booming market for healthcare administrators. They are responsible for the oversight of medical facilities that range from large hospitals to nursing homes and rehabilitation centers. Hospital administrators coordinate care, manage finances, create schedules, and work with medical staff. A profession as a hospital administrator is fascinating and rewarding – each day brings new and exciting tasks and challenges.

The impact of scheduling on hospital administrators’ lives remains a big issue. Many cite balancing work hours and personal life as problematic, and others are concerned about their daily workloads. Some have cited that expectations and demands on them were increasing, while others cited scheduling per se as challenging. As a healthcare facility manager or hospital administrator, it’s imperative that you’ve a powerful plan in place in order to manage your critical staffing needs effectively throughout peak and off-peak hours. With that goal in mind, we have compiled the following scheduling tips for hospital administrators to help them manage their healthcare staffing needs around the clock.

Scheduling And Managing Rapid Needs

Developing and implementing a comprehensive staffing and scheduling procedure is a crucial element of any patient-care and staffing plan. It is necessary to partner with a healthcare staffing agency that is able to fulfil all of your supplemental staffing requirements at a moment’s notice with fully-certified, highly qualified professionals for you provide and maintain the high quality around the clock care’ and personalized attention your patients deserve.

Advance Planning

The best approach to unplanned staffing deficits would be to proactively define the action steps that need to be taken prior to the crisis. Besides helping you manage your short notice or emergency staffing needs, it’s also critical that you partner with a Joint Commission-certified healthcare staffing firm which can help you plan ahead for busy periods like holidays and vacation seasons wherein your regular staff may request concurrent time off. By planning your staffing requirements in advance, you make sure that your facility won’t be caught short handed during these critical times.

Workload Management

You will be better prepared to ensure the precise distribution of staff and resources by analyzing your staffing needs and assessing current and projected workloads. This decisive workload analysis allows you to effectively avoid procedural errors which result whenever staff members are overloaded.

Answering Calls and Managing Calendars

Calling patients, shifting appointments and rescheduling events around at a moment’s notice is a core part of the work. This is another really important part of the work of a hospital administrator. People who call medical offices typically talk to the administrator, at least at first, especially for things like scheduling an appointment or getting directions to the office. The job also usually requires lots of savvy when it comes to organizing and scheduling time. The administrator can create and manage calendars for appointments, patient consultations, and important meetings which they must keep constantly updated.

Clerical Work

The medical world is one which is heavily records-dependent. One of the hospital administrator’s biggest jobs is keeping paperwork and written files in order. Typically, this starts with patient records. Usually, the administrator can devise a system to keep files updated and accessible, which oftentimes involves computing and electronic record keeping. Most modern healthcare offices use a combination of paper and digital-based files, and organizing and assimilating these two can be a bigger undertaking than it seems.

Ensuring Compliance

The healthcare industry is regulated by numerous rules and regulations. It is the job of the hospital administrator to help with or manage the process of making sure an organization remains compliant. This might involve keeping up with the latest healthcare news relevant to the locality and type of organization.

Accept Holidays as Part of the Schedule

For many hospital administrators, working a holiday one year would mean they get the next year off. Barnes, however, will work on Christmas for the next six years straight. You can work a schedule of 7 nights on and 7 nights off which means you might not have to work on the upcoming string of holidays.

Healthcare and hospital facility management is always needed to maintain a clean, healthy environment. It’s important for medical facilities to make sure service requests are responded to swiftly and efficiently and that preventive maintenance schedules are set up so as to maintain operations without interruption.

Little Changes that will make a BIG Difference with Customer Service

17 Feb, 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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In the food service, bar and nightclub industries you are selling more than just food and drinks to your patrons. While quality food and drinks are important, there are probably many other similar restaurants, bars or nightclubs in your area that offer similar selections. What you are truly selling is a solution to a problem and what distinguishes you from your competitors is the customer experience you provide. We have searched far and wide to provide you with the best advice for improving customer experiences.

The first place to start is to challenge your staff to provide more than expected for every customer during their scheduled shifts. Servers should ensure that customers’ drinks never get below 1/3 full, offer extra bread for extended waits,  and remember to always maintain eye contact and be personable when taking orders and interacting with customers.

You can really go above and beyond if you’re near a theater, sports area, etc., by asking your customers if they are in a rush and try to accommodate their limited time needs. Help your customers during the ordering process by pointing out deals on items that they are ordering. You can offer additional perks for your customers, such as tasting different foods and wines before ordering. You might make a little less on this sale, but they will be sure to return.  And if you have an unhappy customer, thank them for their honestly (they told you instead of someone else) and look for a simple way to rectify the situation.

Improving the customer experience does not rely solely on your staff. As a manager/owner there are ways you need to train and prepare your staff for success. Train your servers on how to handle different customers (large groups, first time visitors, families) so that they can provide a superior level of service to every customer. Another great tip is to fully train your staff on your menu, ensuring they can answer any questions. Ensure that you fully train your entire staff on your policies and procedures, as well as when to escalate situations to the manager.

Here are some of the items that each of your servers should know off the top of their head:

  • What foods are spicy
  • Ingredients in each dish
  • Items for special dietary requirements
  • Tasted all items including specials

The final crucial piece of the puzzle is all about scheduling. There is a tight line to walk to ensure that you have adequate staffing for all shifts (over- and under- staffing not only impacts your bottom line, but can seriously impact the customer experience). What Time Do I Work.com has reports and features that can help you determine the ideal coverage for each of your scheduled shifts. Check back here in our next edition to learn more about how What Time Do I Work.com helps to determine your staff requirements for each shift. Can’t wait? Click Here to try it out for yourself for 30 days in our no obligation free trial.

Why should you pick WhatTimeDoIWork.com Online Employee Scheduling Software?

10 Feb, 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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The first step to success is to stop working in your business and start working on your business. You have probably spent far too many hours creating and updating your weekly schedules, and yet, do you have a full grasp on the amount of overtime wages you have needlessly paid? This is the ideal time to start looking for scheduling support. There are many different options available today and you should put some serious thought and consideration into what exactly you are looking for. In this 3 part series we will extensively review the scheduling software options available.

The simplest solution would be using an Excel spreadsheet instead of pen and paper. This will make a clean scheduling template, but it really doesn’t save you a lot of time. What you really need is a program developed by expert schedulers that has been designed to save you both time and money. While it may sound counterintuitive to pay for scheduling software to make money, the money and time you will save will far outweigh the cost of the software.

The first decision to make regards the the type of program you would like to use. Traditional software that you purchase once and is housed on a single computer, or an online software that does not require downloading, and you receive automatic updates without having to download any additional information. Not to mention that you can pay as you go, and you will have all of your information saved in the cloud so it can be accessed from anywhere, at any time, not just from your office. Online scheduling software offers the additional ability for your employees to have access to their schedules from home.

With online software your employees can enter time off requests, view the schedule, fill open shifts, and even swap shifts with other employees. You can also communicate a new schedule, an updated schedule or an open shift to your full staff (or select employees) with just one click of the button. Just think of all the extra time you will have to devote to other aspects of your business.

In our next edition, we will be examining some of the features you should be looking for in online scheduling software. If scheduling, employee requests, and time management have become a problem for you and your business, try What Time Do I Work.com online staff scheduling, and store all of your employees’ scheduling and contact information on the cloud for your access from anywhere at any time. Try it risk free for 30 days!