Summary:
The Healthcare busy season means constantly changing schedules and scrambling to find last-minute coverage. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and fatigued, so we’ve compiled a list of five ways to beat the headache this busy season and schedule more efficiently. Utilizing labor forecasting, predictive analytics, and per diem staffing allows for a smooth transition from chaos to calm.
What is healthcare busy season?
As the weather cools off and holidays are just around the corner, the inevitable uptick in patients is looming. While an increase in patients can mean an increase in revenue, if facilities aren’t fully prepared, the influx of patients and increase in callouts can stifle any possibility for a successful busy season.
Now is the time to start focusing on creating consistent staffing strategies for any fluctuations. Getting ahead of the curve is essential to tackling the challenges that come with busy season.
Why are fall and winter busier for healthcare facilities?
The significant uptick in patients can be attributed to several things:
- Sick season: Colder weather plus more time indoors equals a rise in transmissible illnesses, such as colds, the flu, COVID-19, stomach bugs, and more.
- Deductibles: As people hit their yearly deductibles, they’re more likely to go in for elective care or schedule appointments that might have been pushed to the back burner.
- Fall sports: Kids going back to school are starting fall and winter sports sessions, which can lead to an increase in injuries and the need for care.
Not only do facilities typically see an uptick in patients, but more healthcare providers call out during the busy season. At Medely, we typically see a sizeable uptick in healthcare facilities posting open shifts in Q4.
How is healthcare staffing impacted by busy season?
The rise in callouts is generally similar to the reasons for the uptick in patients as well:
- Sickness: Due to the increase in sick patients, healthcare providers are more susceptible to picking something up. Not to mention healthcare providers with families at home might also have to call out to take care of sick kids or family members.
- Holidays: The holiday season is in full swing during this time of year, meaning healthcare workers are more likely to utilize their PTO to spend more time with their families. This leads to thinner schedules and fewer people to supplement in case of increased patient load or to even take on an average patient load.
How can facilities prepare for busy season?
Now is the time to start planning. Reducing time spent on scheduling is critical to make the biggest impact. Utilizing labor forecasting and predictive analytics can help create a flexible, efficient schedule for healthcare facilities. Here’s how:
- Look back at previous years’ trends
The past can be an indispensable resource for future staffing decisions. While patient census will differ year-over-year, looking back at when census typically rises during the busy season can offer a better idea of when patient census is likely to rise in the current year. This offers an advantage for planning ahead of time.
- Labor forecasting
Labor forecasting uses technology to look ahead. With solutions like Medely, the system analyzes the past few years and common trends, providing administrators with critical data and insights into how the facility is running. It can pull typical busy times and even suggest supplementing with per diem workers based on predictive models.
- Stay on track of PTO requests and outages
With Medely’s all-in-one system, administrators can keep track of all schedules in one place, allowing for an ahead-of-time view of when employees will be out. It can also track times when more callouts tend to happen and provide suggestions for when extra staff might be needed.
- Utilize per diem staffing
Using on-demand per diem staffing allows facilities to flex when needed. Facilities can consistently use their full-time employees, but when callouts inevitably happen or census rises, administrators can call in backup at a moment’s notice. This allows facilities to work with, not against, the rise in patients while also aligning with budget goals.
- Implement automated scheduling
Automating scheduling ensures that any gaps in coverage are easily resolved. If someone calls out, shifts can be automatically sent out to an internal team, ensuring quick replacements to avoid canceled procedures or an unbalanced healthcare worker-to-patient ratio. Alongside schedule automation, integrating a marketplace of per diem workers can also help automate the process.
Medely’s waterfall staffing feature prioritizes internal resources and optimizes their use. When needed, it seamlessly connects to our on-demand talent marketplace to meet patient demand. This provides an added layer of protection against dropped shifts that can negatively impact patient care.
Prevent gaps in healthcare worker coverage through labor forecasting and per diem staffing
It all comes down to strategic planning and utilizing technology features like labor forecasting, predictive scheduling, and per diem staffing to create a robust, easily adjustable schedule. Planning is critical and can be the determining factor between being overwhelmed by the influx of patients or being prepared and ready to take on any challenges.
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