Medical Staff Scheduling Software: Technology Reduces Costs

Technology has forever changed the way that healthcare is delivered, and medical staff scheduling software is a critical component in reducing hospital and facility costs. On the clinical front, Kaiser Permanente logged more than 110 million patient “visits” during 2015 via smartphone, kiosks, and video calls. In the realm of medical advances, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers counts cancer nanotechnology, brain-machine interfaces, electronic diagnostic tools, wireless oximeters, and genome editing as the top five technologies changing the face of medicine. With the right motivation, technology can fuel lightning-fast change. In less than a decade, more than 95 percent of hospitals moved from using paper patient records to demonstrating meaningful use under the CMS electronic health record incentive program.

Behind the Scenes

In addition to better serving patients, whether via convenient virtual appointments or consistent medical records, technology reduces healthcare costs. Behind the scenes, the story is the same: healthcare administrators can leverage technology like medical staff scheduling software to lower costs. The Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare, for example, reports that 76 percent of eligibility and benefit verifications, along with 95 percent of payment claims, are now fully electronic. That’s a respective savings of $7.89 and $1.95 per transaction. Multiply that by more than a billion transactions, and the savings are significant.

Outside of the billing department, technology reduces healthcare costs by slashing overhead expenses. For example, adopting medical staff scheduling software and other software that enhances facility-wide communication eliminates the need for paper-driven processes while decreasing errors and increasing efficiency. This phenomenon can be illustrated by examining the way in which hospitals handle doctor on-call scheduling. When a facility uses a manual system, one staff member or a small group is responsible for all of the physician on-call schedules – often using paper or spreadsheets. When changes need to be made to the schedule, the staff member collects emails, faxes, and voicemails, and then integrates the changes into the spreadsheet, which then is printed and distributed or disseminated via an intranet. Before the ink is dry, new changes may come in, rendering obsolete that version of the on-call schedule and leaving patients in limbo.

Medical Staff Scheduling Software Makes a Difference

In contrast, when a facility uses doctor call schedule software, call groups can be responsible for their own schedules and make updates that are viewable in real time from any desktop or mobile device. The result is that facilities reap a variety of direct and indirect savings. For example, staff costs go down because medical staff services professionals can use their time more efficiently. Similarly, because doctors are less frustrated about outdated schedules and unnecessary middle-of-the-night calls, physician satisfaction increases, lowering recruiting, hiring, and onboarding costs.

From the exam room to the boardroom, technology supports reducing healthcare costs. MDsyncNET offers an eight-module hospital and facility medical staff scheduling software solution that boosts staff efficiency and saves on facility costs. Vice President of Medical Staff Services Dr. M. Fletcher noted that MDsyncNET is “A one-stop shop for hospital to practitioner communications. A great way to unify communications between hospital employees and physicians.” Administrators can call 888-506-5061 to schedule a consultation and discuss how MDsyncNET can help slash expenditures.