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The COVID-19 pandemic for all U.S. emergency departments (and most likely worldwide) has been a complete roller coaster ride. They've moved from pretty much empty ER department bays as patients delayed cares because of COVID-19 concerns to jam-packed boarding areas for those diagnosed with COVID-19 who are waiting to be transferred to hospitals and ICU rooms.
Today, the environment of any given ER department is typically a reflection of COVID-19's ever-shifting curve in their locations. And, this can turn ER call schedules into a nightmare and leave you scrambling around trying to find and call in doctors.
So, how can you optimize your emergency medicine scheduling system during extreme capacity fluctuations? Simple, you help streamline the entire scheduling system with scheduling software. How does physician scheduling software help optimize the scheduling process?
1. Automation
Historically, ER departments tracked ER call schedules on spreadsheets or by hand on paper. Every time you needed to make a change, you had to create and distribute a new iteration of the schedule. And, this results in doctors referring to outdated schedules and you calling in the wrong on-call doctors. Shift scheduling software, however, helps provide real-time schedules and updates accessible from any mobile device and desktop.
2. Scale Seamlessly
With emergency medicine scheduling software, you gain scalability and flexibility to calibrate doctor coverage efficiently by balancing the most innovative virtual solutions with in-person patient care as needs fluctuate. In the months ahead, this ability to scale and pivot will be needed more than ever.
3. Provides User-Friendly Mobile Apps
Having access to mobile apps allows your doctors, nurses and other members of your team to swap, pick up and trade assignments from wherever they are remotely so you can ensure the schedule remains filled. By allowing your doctors the ability of trading shifts on their own through the mobile app, you can be more confident there are no gaps in the schedule.
4. Flexibility
You'll require centralized visibility across the facility where doctors and staff are presently deployed and to where you've been operating at limited capacity or closed. You'll require flexible shift scheduling software, which will allow you to quickly pivot and make necessary doctor scheduling changes and distribute these changes to doctors and staff in real-time. With the unpredictable nature of COVID-19 and the fluctuations it can bring to your ER department, flexibility in staffing is essential.
The key is having the ability to make changes more quickly and smoothly, while you align all your teams on the expectations and plan. By working together and using efficient tools like physician scheduling software, you can help your healthcare system get back to the "new normal" and serve your patients across your whole organization.
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