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2023
Physician Scheduling 2018
Cost-Effective Gains in Efficiency
Author
Tanya Egbert
Physician scheduling solutions are receiving more attention as departments and organizations recognize the increasing inefficiency of scheduling by hand. With enterprise-wide deployment of such solutions on the rise, provider organizations are asking which solutions can save them time while simultaneously helping them reduce physician burnout, create fair and balanced schedules, and ensure 24/7 coverage. This report examines the degree to which market-leading physician scheduling solutions are saving administrative time, which are most effective for enterprise use, and whether promises of mobile convenience make a difference.
Shift Admin & QGenda Offer Significant Time-Savings, Value for Physician Schedulers
Shift Admin and QGenda customers are nearly unanimous in reporting that they have achieved significant time-savings with their physician scheduling solutions, and these time-savings have led to customer perceptions of high value from the vendors. While Shift Admin is used most frequently in ED and OR departments, QGenda is increasingly deployed enterprise-wide (QGenda is also frequently deployed at the department level).
Kronos doesn’t have the same impact on scheduling efficiency as other solutions because administrators still end up doing a lot of work manually. Feedback from the limited number of interviewed Cerner customers suggests that lower adoption of available functionality and a less intuitive user interface result in fewer time-saving benefits, though the overall impact is still positive.
AMiON Simplifies Scheduling Visibility; Users of More Robust Solutions Sometimes Struggle
Despite vendor promises of simple, fully automated physician scheduling, true automation is often complicated and only as effective as the users who create the rules to support it. AMiON’s simple web viewer reduces confusion by serving as a single source of truth when hospital staff need to know who is on call.
While the AMiON solution lacks the scheduling algorithms and rules engines offered by more well-known systems, customers are highly satisfied with its less complicated templates, which can be built once and then replicated. QGenda, OpenTempo, and Lightning Bolt customers have access to much more robust automation features that are often adept at balancing the complicated scheduling needs of large organizations. Some users of these solutions report struggling to get the more complicated rules set up, and sometimes they have to reach out to their vendor for support. When this happens to Shift Admin customers, the vendor’s high-quality support and proactive service help users improve their proficiency with scheduling automation.
QGenda's Enterprise Customers Most Satisfied; OpenTempo Lags
Physician scheduling solutions, which have historically been deployed most often at the department level, are now deployed enterprise-wide more often than in individual departments or facilities. QGenda’s targeted focus on enterprise deployments ensures that everyone in an organization can view published schedules. AMiON, Lightning Bolt, and Kronos are easily deployed, improve enterprise visibility, and offer highly available, sometimes dedicated support representatives to help overcome potential obstacles.
OpenTempo users report more often than users of other solutions that getting their solution up and running can take more investment of time, effort, and money. Intrigma is still most often deployed in emergency departments. While KLAS spoke to only five Cerner customers with enterprise deployments, their generally sour experiences are a warning to other customers wanting to adopt Cerner enterprise-wide.
Compensation-Management Data Is the Future . . . or Is It?
While vendors are advertising their ability to track compensation-management data, further increase efficiency, and export compiled scheduling and pay data, only a handful of organizations have been validated using this technology (though at least one customer of every vendor was validated). Those few that are using the functionality are overwhelmingly satisfied.
Don't Choose Your Scheduling Solution for Its Mobile App
Feedback from respondents regarding mobile functionality indicates that it is not as important to some users as vendors might have one believe. QGenda customers report that the vendor has invested more heavily in their mobile platform, but this has not increased customers’ already high overall satisfaction. Most Shift Admin respondents are unsure whether an app is available, but none feel they need one since they can easily pull up a schedule on their Android or Apple phones via a web interface.
Despite the two vendors’ different approaches, both solutions can sync with users’ calendars automatically and in real time (OpenTempo can also do this) and can text shift reminders, reducing the number of missed shifts. While OpenTempo claims to have an advanced workforce optimization solution, their customers are still preoccupied with below average mobile functionality; administrators still do most of their work from within the standard interface. In general, reliable, convenient mobile functionality can enhance already-positive customer experiences, but it does not make up for customer frustration in other areas.
Designer
Natalie Jamison
This material is copyrighted. Any organization gaining unauthorized access to this report will be liable to compensate KLAS for the full retail price. Please see the KLAS DATA USE POLICY for information regarding use of this report. © 2024 KLAS Research, LLC. All Rights Reserved. NOTE: Performance scores may change significantly when including newly interviewed provider organizations, especially when added to a smaller sample size like in emerging markets with a small number of live clients. The findings presented are not meant to be conclusive data for an entire client base.