When patient care is your top priority, you need an administrative infrastructure that can support patient population fluctuations and manage internal resources. If your organization hasn’t fully optimized its ability to deploy and monitor human resource allocations, you could miss out on growth opportunities.
In the U.S., the recent introduction of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) means that care organizations are under more pressure to improve operations, meet Meaningful Use guidelines and reduce rates of hospital readmission. Failure to meet and report on these goals could mean a negative payment adjustment from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS).
By optimizing your resource allocation, your organization can better focus on meeting your chosen MACRA measures. One way to optimize the way your organization manages human resources is to implement a secure SMS dispatch system. Having immediate access to the entire pool of staff members makes it easier for managers to schedule shifts and make allocation adjustments as needed.
The Dangers of Hospital Scheduling Conflicts
Staff shortages within a health care organization can put patients at risk. If there aren’t enough helping hands when an emergency strikes, further complications could arise. Not only does patient health suffer, but the organization may be exposed to financial and legal risk.
Scheduling nurse shifts can be difficult – especially when managers are drawing from groups of full-time staffers, part-time employees and outside professionals such as travel nurses. The reason an SMS system is ideal for contacting staff members is a simple one: nearly everyone has a phone on or near them at all times.
Importantly, SMS system integration is easy. No matter what scheduling software your team uses, there’s a way to make SMS work for you.
Keeping Your Organization’s Network Secure
Health care organizations are required to follow strict guidelines regarding patient information. The privacy rules within the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), as well as recent regulatory additions through MACRA, mean organizations can take no risks when it comes to data security.
Although no patient data is sent via SMS, personal communication devices must still adhere to security protocols. SMS offers a secure, easy way for managers to contact staff members without adding any security risks.
An Elegant SMS Solution
By optimizing the scheduling process, health care organizations can reach maximum bed efficiency and work toward optimizing care for each individual patient.
According to Becker’s Hospital Review, many forward-thinking institutions have implemented a predictive analytics system that can use historical data to predict scheduling needs on a daily or even hourly basis. However, analytics alone will only get you so far. You must be able to quickly act of the information provided by predictive analysis.
“An SMS dispatch system connects people quickly.”
To take a U.S. example, if a predictive algorithm learns that patient admission rates tend to rise over Memorial Day weekend, your managers can act on that intelligence and schedule more nurses via the SMS dispatch system. Traditional scheduling methods – even telephone calls – are often too slow to keep up with the ever changing needs organizations face every day.
When the stakes are high, your organization needs a scheduling and dispatch system that provokes quick responses. Swift SMS Gateway can provide the tools, knowledge and expertise to help your organization optimize its human resource allocation. When you need an elegant, uncomplicated messaging system, choose SMS.
To learn more, contact our team of experts today!
