Organizations able to store, manage and maintain employee information from hiring to retiring, meeting a demand created by healthcare reform
HARTFORD, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- API Healthcare, the leader in healthcare-specific workforce management solutions, today introduced the Electronic Employee RecordTM as an answer for healthcare organizations feeling the impact of reform- mandated changes that will find them caring for more patients with fewer resources. Electronic Employee Records enable hospitals to improve patient quality of care metrics through best practice talent optimization strategies.
The Electronic Employee Record is an important component of a patient centered, end-to-end workforce management strategy. The storing, managing and maintaining of all employee information throughout the entire cycle of employment allows for streamlined workflows resulting in a seamless data flow that makes it possible to track trends and create forecasts that improve staff utilization. This improved efficiency helps increase employee morale and satisfaction, resulting in a more satisfied and empowered nursing staff.
“The Electronic Employee Record provides a crucial link between the financial and clinical sides of the business,” said J.P. Fingado, president and chief executive officer, API Healthcare. “With real-time readily accessible information about actual patient care needs and the staff available to provide that care, hospitals are better able balance the financial realities of healthcare with their commitment to providing outstanding patient care.”
Under healthcare reform hospitals seeking Medicare/Medicaid funds will be held to higher patient care quality metrics. Effective scheduling, which includes matching specific nurse skills with specific patient needs in the most cost effective manner, is vital to achieving the best possible clinical and financial results. Leveraging a comprehensive end-to-end workforce management strategy that allows for consistent management of employee information from the time he or she is hired until they retire or leave an organization, provides a significant advantage when it comes to protecting crucial Federal reimbursements.
THE ELECTRONIC EMPLOYEE RECORD IN ACTION
Controlling Overtime
Complete insight into an employee’s schedule including hours worked and hours scheduled enables organizations to project overtime and take the appropriate measures to avoid it before it occurs. In addition, the use of data from an integrated labor resource management system allows for the analysis of incidental overtime patterns, enabling the development of policies that eliminate the unexpected and unnecessary instances of incidental overtime without violating the FLSA.
Managing Supplemental and Contingency Staff
Many healthcare providers are turning towards contingency staffing to fill staffing gaps either as additional resources or as an alternative to hiring permanent staff. When both agencies and providers use a single integrated workforce management system to fill open shifts, providers can be sure their contingent staff has the right credentials and skills to provide the high quality patient care required.
Staffing Based on True Patient Care Needs
Bridging the gap between patient care needs and the staffing plan is essential to affordable, high quality patient care, and setting nurses up for success is essential to maintaining a satisfied workforce. When patient classification information is linked with staffing and scheduling information in real time, staffing adjustments can be made before the beginning of a shift, ensuring optimal patient care. With effective talent optimization technology, patient care needs are matched with the correct staff skill sets so that each patient’s unique care needs can be met successfully in the most effective and efficient manner.
Synchronizing Productivity and Budget Numbers
Optimal staffing is more than having the right number of nurses staffed for each shift. With a complete end-to-end workforce management system, managers and staffing coordinators can find the nurse with the right qualifications to most cost-effectively staff each shift. That empowers healthcare providers to make both cost and quality part of the staffing equation.
More detail, including how every level of an organization can benefit from a patient centered integrated workforce management strategy, is available in a complete whitepaper entitled: The Emergence of the Electronic Employee Record: Optimizing Your Workforce to Cut Costs and Improve Patient Outcomes, at the API Healthcare website: http://www.apihealthcare.com/EER_2010
About API Healthcare
API Healthcare (www.apihealthcare.com) is the largest healthcare-specific vendor of workforce management solutions to the healthcare industry. The company’s staffing and scheduling, patient classification, human resources, recruiting, payroll, time and attendance, business analytics, and staffing agency solutions are used by more than 1,000 hospitals and staffing agencies. Founded in 1982, API Healthcare has been rated by KLAS in the Top 20 Best in KLAS Awards Report (www.KLASresearch.com)
CONTACT:
API Healthcare
Samantha Ehley
262.670.2714
[email protected]
KEYWORDS: United States North America Wisconsin
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