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Healthcare in the United States has evolved throughout the past decade because of anaging population of both patients and healthcare professionals, the exacerbation of chronic
illnesses, and the Affordable Care Act, hospitals and outpatient medical organizations need to
become efficient with the limited resources for providing more personalized care to patients
while meeting the increasing demand of maximizing the number of patients seen on a daily basis
(Cho & Cattani, 2018) (Luo, Zhou, Han, & Li, 2019). There are several identifiable barriers that
interfere with the efforts for the healthcare practices goal to becoming more efficient including
patient no-shows, cancellations, and extended patient wait times. “No-shows and cancellations
account for a little more than thirty-one percent of overall scheduled appointments among
approximately forty-five thousand patient per year” accounting for three to fourteen percent of
total annual revenue deficiency (Kheirkhah, Feng, Travis, Tavakoli-Tabasi, & Sharafkhaneh,
2016).
Patient no-show is defined as the patient who does not appear for his/her scheduled
medical appointment (Kheirkhah, Feng, Travis, Tavakoli-Tabasi, & Sharafkhaneh, 2016). Patient
no-shows not only reduce the level of continuity of care, but also has the tendency to reduce
timely access to care for those patients who cannot schedule an appointment, negatively impacts
health outcomes, and wastes the provider’s time and resources (Turkcan, Toscos, & Doebbeling,
2014). Studies have shown that those patients who tend to not show-up tend to be younger, are in
a lower socioeconomic status, have a history of past no-shows, are receiving governmentprovided benefits, experience psychosocial problems, and those who just do not fully understand
the importance of keeping their appointment (Lacy, Paulman, Reuter, & Lovejoy, 2004).
There are several issues for which a patient may cancel their appointment some such
reasons could be due to a scheduling conflict, their symptoms appear to have resolved, or they
decided to visit an alternate provider (emergency department or urgent care facility) for
worsening or other symptoms (Norris, et al., 2014). Ideally, when cancelling an appointment, the
patient cancels leaving sufficient time for the healthcare professionals to schedule someone else
for that time slot.
The biggest challenge is determining the best way to schedule patients by specific time
slots based on the inevitable fluctuation in patients and actual treatment times (Chen, Robielos,
Palana, Valencia, & Chen, 2015). Patient wait times include the actual time between arrival and
the time the patient is seen by the physician, in turn this time is affected by the patient being
either too early or tardy for their scheduled appointment, and differing treatment times based on
need of patient. An example of this could be a patient finishing his/her treatment later than the
scheduled time; therefore, causing all subsequent patients’ appointments are delayed as well
(Chen, Robielos, Palana, Valencia, & Chen, 2015). Patients usually show up earlier rather than
later for scheduled medical appointment, when patients arrive late to their appointment the
clinics’ operation schedule is disrupted as a result the timely care provision is stressed (Hang,
Lich, & Kelly, 2017). In an effort to care for the late arrival causes a domino effect that
continues through the remainder of the clinic day, the medical team is thrown behind schedule in
turn increasing the patient wait time and decreasing the amount of time that the physician has to
spend with his/her patients. This results in patient dissatisfaction. Patient satisfaction seems to be
highest when they experience shorter wait times and longer time spent with the medical
professional (Hang, Lich, & Kelly, 2017). In some cases, when patients arrive late for their
appointment, they can be held responsible to financially cover those charges incurred if the
medical organization has not entered into a contract with the payor. The payers, both government
and commercial, refuse to reimburse the office for those patients who either no-show, cancel, or
are late to their medical appointments (Selesnick & Karapetyan, 2018).
Healthcare operations managers are responsible for determining an appointment schedule
that promotes satisfaction, reimbursement is heavily dependent patient satisfaction therefore it
makes up a large portion of a practice’ revenue. In order to accomplish this, practices have
implemented a variety of scheduling methods including advanced access, open access, dynamic
scheduling, and sequential scheduling. For example primary health care clinics have been tasked
with improving access, better health outcomes, and providing quality services efficiently while
managing limited resources (Turkcan, Toscos, & Doebbeling, 2014). “Cost and efficiency are
key outcomes of process improvement”, there are times when efficiency does get in the way of
quality efforts especially when it comes to patient satisfactions and the appointment scheduling
process (Langabeer II & Helton, 2016, p. 86). Quality revolves around patient outcomes, patient
safety, patient logistics flow and facilities, financial, and administrative (Langabeer II & Helton,
2016). Based on this, scheduling interventions vary based on the domain of care, for example,
same-day appointments, walk-in clinics, telemedicine, and after-hour services can be used to
improve acute care access. Chronic disease care practices can utilize a multidisciplinary care
team, disease specific clinics, group appointments, the use of registries, patient education, and
group appointments in order to improve patient satisfaction. Finally preventative care clinics
increase awareness through different community and population based programs, use reminder
systems, and support systems for compliance (Turkcan, Toscos, & Doebbeling, 2014).
Open access scheduling offers a considerably promising potential in clinics where there
seems to be a high rate of patients who end up visiting the emergency department for urgent and
non-urgent problems because they are otherwise unable to arrange a same-day appointment.
Advanced scheduling has the potential to reduce the number of no-shows, improves provider
utilization as well as patient satisfaction, and requires a careful analysis of the practice’s patient
demand and capacity (Turkcan, Toscos, & Doebbeling, 2014).
One way outpatient medical clinics strive to increase their profitability by maximizing
their resource utilization is to utilize an overbooking scheduling model Although it may be
difficult to accurately predict the number of patient arrivals, to schedule the appropriate number
of staff, and “resource utilization plans when patient no-shows and cancellations are common”
(El-Sharo, Zheng, Yoon, & Khasawneh, 2015, p. 1). Overbooking is a technique that is used to
reduce the effects of patient cancellations and no-shows. Many healthcare organizations utilize
this method in order to lessen the blow of no-shows and cancellations, this method however can
be detrimental because this practice has the potential to increase wait times.
Luke 14:28 (NIV) states “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit
down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? Just as taking on the
responsibility of building a tower, a Christian leaders and managers, we must first sit down and
estimate the cost, and then ensure that we lay an adequate foundation before we start building.
One way of doing this is by examining our patient scheduling practices and rework and revise
current structures when need be.
References:
Chen, P., Robielos, R., Palana, P., Valencia, P., & Chen, G. (2015). Scheduling patients’
appointments: Allocation of healthcare service using simulation optimization. Journal of
Healthcare Engineering, 6(2), 259-280. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.28070.57926.
Cho, D., & Cattani, K. (2018). The patient patient: The performance of traditional versus open
access scheduling policies. Journal of The Decision Sciences Institute, 50(4), 756-785.
Https://doi-org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1111/deci.12351.
El-Sharo, M., Zheng, B., Yoon, S., & Khasawneh, M. (2015). An overbooking scheduling model
for outpatient appointments in a multi-provider clinic. Operations Research for
Healthcare, 6, 1-10. https://doi-org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1016/j.orhc.2015.05.004.
Hang, S., Lich, K., & Kelly, K. (2017). Patient and visit-level variables with late arrival to
pediatric clinic appointments. Clinical Pediatrics, 56(7), 634–639.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0009922816672450.
Kheirkhah, P., Feng, Q., Travis, T., Tavakoli-Tabasi, S., & Sharafkhaneh, A. (2016). Prevalence,
predictors and economic consequences of no-shows. BMC Health Services Research;
16(13), 1-6. DOI 10.1186/s12913-015-1243-z.
Lacy, N., Paulman, A., Reuter, M., & Lovejoy, B. (2004). Why we don’t come: Patient
perception on no-show. Annals of Family Medicine; 2(6), 441-445.
http://www.annfammed.org/content/2/6/541.full.pdf.
Langabeer II, J., & Helton, J. (2016). Health Care Operations Management A Systems
Perspective. Burlington: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Luo, L., Zhou, Y., Han, B., & Li, J. (2019). An optimization model to determine appointment
scheduling window for an outpatient clinic with patient no-shows. Healthcare Managing
Science Journal, 22(1), 68-84. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10729-017-9421-7.
Norris, J., Kumar, C., Chand, S., Moskowitz, H., Shade, S., & Willis, D. (2014). An empirical
investigation into factors affecting patient cancellations and no-shows at outpatient
clinics. Elsevier Decision Support System; 57, 428-443.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2012.10.048.
Selesnick, A., & Karapetyan, G. (2018). Missed appointments and late arrivals: Who to bill and
when. Medical Economics; 95(12), 1-3.
https://www.medicaleconomics.com/business/missed-appointments-and-late-arrivalswho-bill-and-when.
Turkcan, A., Toscos, T., & Doebbeling, B. (2014). Patient-centered appointment scheduling
using agent-based simulation. AMIA Annual Symposium Proccedings Archive , 11251133. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4419932/.
Draft
Operation Managers’ Role in Staff Scheduling
Operations managers play a big role in scheduling within medical departments. Staffing
manager’s responsibilities include having the ability and flexibility to assign different medical
staff to each team/department for each scheduling planning period. Areas staffing managers
focus on are hospital policy, staff allocation, and scheduling (Chen, Lin, & Peng, 2015). Medical
demand as a whole has increased throughout the years, yet medical staff shortages are not
uncommon; the workload has become more overwhelming. Staff members typically work
overtime. Unfortunately, overwork can lead to malpractice lawsuits and high turnover. It is
predicted that by 2020, there will be a 36% shortage of nurses in the American healthcare sector.
It is vital for staffing managers to allocate medical staff appropriately, as it is a critical issue for
hospitals (Chen, Lin, & Peng, 2015). Operations managers need to first decide which
departments are to be included in the schedule. Secondly, managers should also determine how
many medical staff members are to be assigned or are needed in each department. Lastly,
operations managers should as well determine which medical staff member is going to work
which shift; staff scheduling issues can come up (Chen, Lin, & Peng, 2015).
A schedule needs to comply with government regulations, hospital policies, and the
medical staff’s preferences; schedulers need to negotiate with the staff. Creating a monthly
schedule takes time. As the size of the medical staff and fluctuations increase, so does the
amount of time required to generate a monthly schedule (Chen, Lin, & Peng, 2015). Because
operations managers and department chairs already have too much to do, they need a tool to help
them design a better schedule; using electronic health records (EHRs) is a solution.
Proverbs 11:14 in the Bible states, “where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an
abundance of counselors there is safety”. Operations managers are important for staff scheduling
because they are looked up to decreasing uncertainty in medical staff shortages.
What is an Electronic Health System (EHR)?
The keys to good scheduling in healthcare are data, analytics, systems, software, culture,
and management. Electronic health records (EHRs) can be used as a uncostly, scheduling
software that the government incentivizes for providers to use; EHRs aims to pull the healthcare
industry into the 21st century in its use of computers to improve the delivery of care. Data
captured within the software and applied analytics can track historical trends of past wait times
and patient demands to help forecast the future and create solutions to decrease long wait times
(Hall & Partyka, 2012). The software provides interfaces to schedulers and presents it to the
scheduler in a user-friendly graphical display. The software can be used as a tool of
communication between different departments, so the arrival of patients and allocation of
resources can be anticipated with greater accuracy (Hall & Partyka, 2012). A typical approach
for deriving the optimized schedules is to perform experiments using discrete event simulation.
This can be accomplished through using the collected data from electronic records systems. This
requires a series of processes to acquire simulation parameters from the raw data. The goal is for
the derived simulation model to fully reflect the reality. Three main elements for building a
healthcare simulation model are a process of medical activities, service times, and arrival dates
(Cho, Song, Yoo, & Reijer, 2019). As data capture becomes more automatic and systems
become more integrated, operations research has the potential to make EHRs even more effective
and provide even more immediate patient access at lower costs (Hall & Partyka, 2012).
One strategy using EHR that has become very effective is block scheduling. Patients’
appointments can be scheduled according to anticipated clinical length time. Shortest
appointments can be scheduled in the morning, with the longest appointments near the end of the
clinic to minimize patient wait time. To access the performance of any new scheduling template,
patient wait time and clinic length are two main metrics. Patient wait time can be calculated by
using EHR timestamps and data about the appointment. Exam lengths can be determined by
EHR audit log timestamps recorded between each appointment’s check in and check out times
(Hribar, Read-Brown, Reznick, & Chiang, 2017).
1 Corinthians 14:40 in the Bible states, “but all things should be done decently and in
order”. Electronic Health Systems can positively impact the organization and provider workflow
to ensure all patients’ needs, such as shorter wait times, are met.
The Issue: Waiting Time Affects Patient Satisfaction
In healthcare management, waiting time for consultation with a healthcare professional is an
important measure that has strong associations with patient’s satisfaction; the longer patients
have to wait before being treated by a medical staff member, the less satisfied they are, which
could lead to decreasing profits. It is required to optimize scheduling for clinicians (Cho, Song,
Yoo, & Reijer, 2019). A confounding factor is that there are significant differences with respect
to quality delivery and efficiency among clinicians. In order to handle this problem, it seems
worthwhile to consider how the personal appointment schedules of clinicians can be optimized
as to improve the overall efficiency of patient management (Cho, Song, Yoo, & Reijer, 2019).
Scheduling aims to improve the match between healthcare resources, such as medical
staff, and patient needs. A good scheduling system reduces waits for patients while also
improving the utilization of critical resources. Unfortunately, many caregivers lack the skills to
systematically improve service by creating schedules that better match resources to patient
needs (Hall & Partyka, 2012). Patients usually cannot leave until the job is done, making waiting
much more costly. Patients may experience pain and conditions may worsen as the long wait
time continues. In emergency rooms, complications may occur when patients become frustrated
and leave without being seen and against medical advice. In workforce scheduling, the challenge
is ensuring that staffing levels track needs, as predicted from patient census (Hall & Partyka,
2012).
Galatians 6:9 in the Bible states, “and let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due
season we will reap, if we do not give up”. Organization and rearranging systems to decrease
patient wait times is no easy feat, however it is definitely worth it to improve patient conditions
and lower costs.
References
Chen, P.-S., Lin, Y.-J., & Peng, N.-C. (2015). A two-stage method to determine the
allocation and scheduling of medical staff in uncertain environments. Computers and
Industrial Engineering, 99, 174-188. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cie.2016.07.018
Cho, M., Song, M., Yoo, S., & Reijer, H. A. (2019). An evidence-based decision
support framework for clinician medical scheduling. IEEE, 15239-15249. Retrieved
from https://ieeexplore-ieeeorg.ezproxy.liberty.edu/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=8621008
Hall, R., & Partyka, J. (2012). Scheduling for better healthcare: how analytics-and
O.R.-driven tools help healthcare organizations move from “tracking” mentality to
“delivery and logistics.” OR/MS Today, 39(3), 22+. Retrieved from https://link-galecom.ezproxy.liberty.edu/apps/doc/A295420724/ITOF?u=vic_liberty&sid=ITOF&xi
d=62cf5e28
Hribar, M. R., Read-Brown, S., Reznick, L., & Chiang, M. F. (2017). Evaluating and
improving an outpatient clinic scheduling template using secondary electronic
health record data. AMIA Annual Symposium Proceedings Archive, 921-929.
Retrieved from https://www-ncbi-nlm-nihgov.ezproxy.liberty.edu/pmc/articles/PMC5977636/
What are the benefits of electronic scheduling in relation to scheduling for better
provisions in healthcare?
When it comes to determining what the benefits of electronic scheduling in relation to
scheduling for better provisions in healthcare are, first, one must figure out what the benefits of
electronic scheduling how they relate to scheduling for better provision in healthcare.
Scheduling for better provisions in healthcare works on the idea of scheduling healthcare
appointments in a way that allows for patients to keep their scheduled appointment times, to help
meet the needs of their treatment plan (Burdett & Kozan, 2018). There are many benefits of
electronic scheduling, though some of the most important include providing opportunities for
flexibility, work balance, improved patient-centeredness, reduced wait times, and the option to
schedule to specific health needs. In relation to scheduling for better provision in healthcare, the
benefits provide opportunities to deliver better healthcare options for patients by being able to
meet the criteria laid out in their treatment plans, thus, improving healthcare processes
(Langabeer & Helton, 2016). This is achieved by reducing wait times, office set up times,
transfer times, and any deviations that might lead to scheduling conflicts (Burdett & Kozan,
2018).
How flexibility can benefit patient scheduling
Flexibility can benefit electronic scheduling in many ways. For instance, flexibility can
benefit electronic scheduling by allowing physicians and healthcare providers to schedule
patient’s appointments in ways that allow them to receive appointments that benefit their
schedules (Marynissen & Demeulemeester, 2019). With this, the main goal is to be able to
schedule appointments in a timely manner that allows for quick diagnostic testing, along with
treatment options that prevail at a rate that will help the patient to lessen their health issues
(Marynissen & Demeulemeester, 2019). Flexibility benefits electronic scheduling by being able
to reach patients’ needs at a faster pace, which in turn help to keep or increase patient satisfaction
(Marynissen & Demeulemeester, 2019).
The benefits of work balance in relation to electronic scheduling
Another factor that can benefit electronic scheduling is work balance. Work balance can
benefit electronic scheduling through the use of scheduling systems (Gavriloff, OstrowskiDelhanty, & Oldfield, 2017). Scheduling systems, such as level-loading, “can help gain greater
control over the timing of patients visits and patient access, resulting in increases in patient
access to care” (Gavriloff, Ostrowski-Delhanty, & Oldfield, 2017, p. 189). A work balance can
also benefit electronic scheduling by reducing the number of times that patients have to
reschedule their appointments (Rachuba & Werners, 2014). This also works on the basis that
physicians or provider’s schedules update in real-time, which helps to provide schedulers with an
idea of how appointments will impact the physician or provider’s schedule (Millhiser & Veral,
2019). This will also help to reduce the amount of rescheduled appointments due to overbooking
or longer appointment times based on the type of appointment needed (Millerhiser & Veral,
2019).
How patient-centeredness offers benefits to electronic scheduling
Additionally, another factor to consider when it comes to the benefits of electronic
scheduling is patient-centeredness. Patient-centeredness can improve electronic scheduling in a
lot of ways. Patient-centeredness can be improved by electronic scheduling through scheduling
to meet the needs of the patients. These needs may be specific health screenings, health
consultations, health testing, and most importantly a course of treatment options (Burdett &
Kozan, 2018). By doing this, patient-centeredness can be reached by scheduling for patients that
are being treated for a disease process that already has a treatment plan or schedule for patients
that have acute healthcare problems that do not have an identified treatment plan (Burdett &
Kozan, 2018).
How electronic scheduling can benefit patient wait times
Electronic scheduling also has the ability to help reduce patient wait times if it is utilized
properly. It is important to acknowledge the fact that electronic scheduling can reduce wait
times by allowing for scheduling opportunities that will not conflict with other appointments on
the provider’s schedule (Rachuba & Werners, 2014). Though, there are many factors that
contribute the increase in patient wait times. For instance, double booking or overbooking of
physicians, or providers, can result in longer wait times (Rachuba & Werners, 2014). Thus,
hindering patient’s healthcare opportunities, outcomes, and satisfaction. Which can result in
patients’ healthcare needs worsening or becoming untreatable in the manner in which was
initially decided. With this, on the flip side, electronic scheduling can benefit patients by
allowing schedulers to see all the appointments scheduled for the provider and schedule around
those, while still being able to meet the needs of the patient (Rachuba & Werners, 2014).
Allowing for patients to achieve their desired health care opportunities, outcomes, and
satisfaction. By being able to avoid the factors that increase patient wait times is something that
is highly achievable through the use of electronic scheduling.
Electronic scheduling can benefit patients by helping to schedule to specific health needs
Furthermore, electronic scheduling can benefit patients by scheduling to specific health
needs. This is accomplished by acknowledging the fact that electronic scheduling can benefit
patients by scheduling to specific health needs through being able to schedule directly with the
needed provider (Aslani & Zhang, 2014). Scheduling directly with the needed provider is a
benefit that is enhanced by having the provider’s schedules updated in real-time, showing, both
the scheduler and patient, what times are open and if there is a time block large enough to meet
the patients’ healthcare needs (Millhiser & Veral, 2019). This furthers the ability to be able to be
able to provide patients with the healthcare options they need in order to treat their healthcare
needs in a timely manner in which correlate with their wellness or treatment plan. We must
always remember to “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all this benefits” (Psalm 103:2,
New International Version).
References
Aslani, N., & Zhang, J. (2014). Integration of simulation and DEA to determine the most
efficient patient appointment scheduling model for a specific healthcare setting. Journal
of Industrial Engineering and Management, 7(4), 785-815. doi:10.3926/jiem.1058
Burdett, R. L., & Kozan, E. (2018). An integrated approach for scheduling health care activities
in a hospital. European Journal of Operational Research, 264(2), 756-773.
doi:10.1016/j.ejor.2017.06.051
Gavriloff, C., Ostrowski-Delahanty, S., & Oldfield, K. (2017). The impact of lean six sigma
methodology on patient scheduling. Nursing Economics, 35(4), 189. Retrieved from
https://search.proquest.com/openview/664aef9a8226bea1c93caced44409550/1?pq
origsite=gscholar&cbl=30765
Langabeer, J. R. & Helton, J. (2016). Healthcare operations management. Burlington, Ma: Jones
& Barlett Learning.
Marynissen, J., & Demeulemeester, E. (2019). Literature review on multi-appointment
scheduling problems in hospitals. European Journal of Operational Research, 272(2),
407-419. doi:10.1016/j.ejor.2018.03.001
Millhiser, W. P., & Veral, E. A. (2019). A decision support system for real-time scheduling of
multiple patient classes in outpatient services. Health Care Management Science, 22(1),
180-195. doi:10.1007/s10729-018-9430-1
Rachuba, S., & Werners, B. (2014). A robust approach for scheduling in hospitals using multiple
objectives. Journal of the Operational Research Society, 65(4), 546-556.
doi:10.1057/jors.2013.112
What is the background of 21st-century healthcare?
Cost, Quality and Patient Satisfaction
Improving cost, quality, access and patient satisfaction are continuous efforts that drive
the provision of 21st-century healthcare. As healthcare costs continue to risk in the United States
(U.S.), efforts to reduced costs while still maintaining quality within the healthcare setting can be
challenging (Langabeer II & Helton, 2016, p. 13). According to Langabeer II and Helton (2016),
quality refers to “high standards, excellence, and the ability to meet and exceed customer’s
expectations” (p. 86). These quality principles focus on categories that are impacted at the
service-level and include patient outcomes, patient safety, financial, administrative, and patient
logistics flow, and facilities (Langabeer II & Helton, 2016, p. 86-87). Improving efficiency and
effectiveness is central to improving cost, quality, and patient satisfaction in 21st-century
healthcare (Langabeer II & Helton, 2016, p. 159). Therefore, the need for operations
management is more evident than ever as some of the primary roles of operations managers are
to reduce costs and improve the quality of customer services (Langabeer II & Helton, 2016, p. 9,
11).
Integration of Health Information Technology
In 2009, the Health Information and Technology for Economic and Clinical Health
(HITECH) Act was enacted with the intention of producing greater efficiencies in healthcare
(Langabeer II & Helton, 2016, p. 43). The integration of health information technology has had a
significant impact on the provision of care in the 21st-century healthcare setting (Langabeer II &
Helton, 2016, p. 43). According to Wong, Nohr, Kuziemsky, Leung, and Chen (2017), the use of
health informatics serves as a cornerstone for improving the quality and efficiency of healthcare
delivery. The use of health information technology (HIT) for electronic patient scheduling drives
a paradigm shift from traditional healthcare delivery to a digital transformation that supports
value-based healthcare in the 21st-century healthcare setting (Williams, Lovelock, Cabarrus, &
Harvey, 2019). Additionally, the use of electronic patient appointment scheduling increases
communication between patients and clinical staff as well as provides efficient, high-quality
service (Zhang & Kulkarni, 2017). Fetherall, et al. (2018), stated that consumer health
information technology is seen as a promising solution to reducing pressure to improve outcomes
and decrease cost. HIT infrastructure, such as electronic health records and electronic patient
scheduling allows for data to be collected and analyzed to support operational decisions by
developing solutions for controlling costs and reducing errors (Williams, Lovelock, Cabarrus, &
Harvey, 2019).
Improved Access to Healthcare
Timely access to care is a primary concern in U.S. healthcare (Anhalt, Kharoufeh, &
Bhattacharya, 2017). The introduction of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 resulted in a
significant increase in Americans with insurance coverage thus increasing demand for access to
healthcare services (Srinivas & Ravindran, 2018). According to Srinivas and Ravindran (2018),
it is expected that the demand for outpatient services will rise while the number of available
physicians needed to provide care is anticipated to decline. An estimated 65 percent of hospital
revenue is expected to be received from outpatient care (Srinivas & Ravindran, 2018). Therefore,
it is essential that interventions be implemented to improve access and increase efficiency in the
delivery of healthcare. Implementation of interventions, such as electronic patient scheduling, to
meet the supply and demand have ensured utilization efficiency as well as patient satisfaction
(Srinivas & Ravindran, 2018). According to Anhalt, Kharoufeh, and Bhattacharya (2017), access
to care can be improved when appointment slots are effectively allocated and utilized for
individual providers. Managing supply and demand in the outpatient setting can be optimized
through the use of electronic patient scheduling systems that are equipped with predictive
analytics to assist with distributing workload throughout the day (Srinivas & Ravindran, 2018).
Patient-Centered Care
In 21st-century healthcare, a key healthcare service deliverable is patient-centered care
(Wong, Nohr, Kuziemsky, Leung, & Chen, 2017). Patient-centered care refers to establishing a
doctor-patient relationship that promotes communication and understanding of thoughts and
preferences to improve patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes (Choi, Hwang, & Kim, 2015).
Patient satisfaction regarding appointments is often measured by patient preferences and waiting
time (Ahmadi-Javid, Jalali, & Klassen, 2017). According to Wong, Nohr, Kuziemsky, Leung,
and Chen (2017), a solution to attaining patient-centered competences in the healthcare setting is
by making decisions that are efficient and intellectual using data information gain through
technology.
Providing patient-centered care allows clinicians to deliver care that involves engaging
the patient in developing a healthcare plan that is tailored to the individual. From a biblical
worldview, patient-centered care removes any selfish ambitions of the clinicians and drives the
focus to the interest of the patient. The Bible states in Philippians 2:3-4 “Do nothing out of
selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking
to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others” (New International Version).
Improved Efficiency in Healthcare
Efficiency in healthcare systems has become increasingly important over the past few
decades as a primary result of rising healthcare expenditures coupled with increased demand for
healthcare services and patient expectations in quality of service (Ahmadi-Javid, Jalali, &
Klassen, 2017). Efficiency refers to “performing tasks with minimal waste and resources
consumption” and is measured by utilizing tools that analyze operational metrics of inputs and
outputs (Langabeer II & Helton, 2016, p. 137, 177). The use of operational metrics aids in
improving efficiency in the healthcare organization (Langabeer II & Helton, 2016, p. 177). The
most common issues across the nation that present in terms of efficiency in patient scheduling
are no-shows and cancellations (Srinivas & Ravindran, 2018; Adams, et al., 2017). According to
Srinivas and Ravindran (2018), “the average no-show rates for primary care clinics vary between
14% and 50%” (p. 245). A common practice to address no-shows is overbooking which may
lead to increased patient wait times, decreased patient satisfaction, physician overtime, and
ultimately increased costs (Zhang & Kulkarni, 2017).
References
Adams, S., Scherer, W., White Jr., P., Payne, J., Hernandez, O., Gerber, M., & Whitehead, P.
(2017). Dynamic scheduling for Veterans Health Administration patients using geospatial
dynamic overbooking. Journal of Medical Systems, 4(182), 1-14.
doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-017-0815-3
Ahmadi-Javid, A., Jalali, Z., & Klassen, K. (2017). Outpatient appointment systems in
healthcare: A review of optimization studies. European Journal of Operational Research,
258(1), 3-34. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2016.06.064
Anhalt, A., Kharoufeh, J., & Bhattacharya, A. (2017). Improving access to healthcare by
minimizing appointment delays. IIE Annual Conference. Proceedings, 579-584.
doi:http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search-proquestcom.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/1951123666?accountid=12085
Choi, C.-J., Hwang, S.-W., & Kim, H.-N. (2015). Changes in the degree of patient expectations
for patient-centered care in a primary care setting. Korean Journal of Family Medicine,
36(2), 103-112. doi:10.4082/kjfm.2015.36.2.103
Fetherall, J., Lapin, B., Chaitoff, A., Havele, S., Thompson, N., & Katzan, I. (2018).
Characterization of patient interest in provider-based consumer health information
technology: Survey study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 204(4), e128.
doi:10.2196/jmir.7766
Langabeer II, J., & Helton, J. (2016). Health care operations management: A systems
perspective (2nd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.
Srinivas, S., & Ravindran, R. (2018). Optimizing outpatient appointment system using machine
learning algorithms and scheduling rules: A prescriptive analytics framework. Expert
Systems with Applications, 102, 245-261. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2018.02.022
Williams, P., Lovelock, B., Cabarrus, T., & Harvey, M. (2019). Improving digital hospital
transformation: Development of an outcomes-based infrastructure maturity assessment
framework. JMIR Medical Informatics, 7(1), e12465. doi:10.2196/12465
Wong, Z., Nohr, C., Kuziemsky, C., Leung, E., & Chen, F. (2017). Context sensitive health
informatics: Delivering 21st century healthcare- Building a quality-and-efficiency driven
system. Studies In Health Technology And Informatics, 241, 1-5. doi:10.3233/978-161499-794-8-1
Zhang, Y., & Kulkarni, V. (2017). Two-day appointment scheduling with patient preferences and
geometric arrivals. Queueing Systems, 85(1-2), 173-209. doi:10.1007/s11134-016-9506-x
Running head: OUTLINE
1
BUSI 611 Operations Management of Health Organizations
Outline
Group 2
Carrie Brown, Miracle Cannon, Dina Crawford, Emily Gawlak, and Pamela Wannamaker
February 9, 2020
Respectfully submitted to: Dr. Kelly
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Abstract
Patient scheduling in healthcare is a key component of providing patient-centered care and this
research project outline is based on the topic of “Scheduling for Better Provisions in Healthcare”.
This topic allows for the understanding of how electronic scheduling systems can do much more
than the traditional (non-automated) forms of scheduling. This is because they run on computer
platforms, they can utilize and generate data that produce better schedules in a more flexible
format, as well as link scheduling to specific health needs of patients. The thesis statement and
six research questions explain the background of the 21st-century healthcare, the factors affecting
patient scheduling, the benefits of electronic scheduling, the barriers in electronic patient
scheduling, and the role of operations managers. The research outline has shown how healthcare
has evolved, the affects that it has had on patient scheduling, the benefits and limitations that
electronic scheduling has brought to the healthcare industry, and finally, the role that physicians
and operations managers play in patient scheduling. Scheduling for better provisions in
healthcare has the goal of improving patient’s overall wellbeing and satisfaction and the research
paper draft for group two will provide further information pertaining to the success or decline in
the development of scheduling for better provisions in healthcare.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
Page
Research topic and thesis statement…………………………………………………………..4
Research questions, organizational plan, and estimated space………………………………..4
Statement of topic……………………………………………………………………………..5
Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………6
What is the background of 21st-century healthcare?………………………………………..…6
What factors are affecting patient scheduling?………………………………………………………………..8
What are the benefits of electronic scheduling in relation to scheduling for better provisions in
healthcare?…………………………………………………………………………………….10
What are the barriers in electronic patient scheduling?…………………………………………………….13
What role do physicians play in relation to scheduling for better provisions in
healthcare?…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………14
What is the role of operations managers is in regard to patient scheduling?……………………….16
Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………….18
References……………………………………………………………………………………..19
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Research Topic
Scheduling for better provisions in healthcare with an emphasis on electronic scheduling
systems and its influence on the quality of care and patient healthcare satisfaction.
Thesis Statement
The advancements that have been made through scheduling for better provisions in
healthcare, such as patient scheduling have evolved over the years and this can be seen through
the developments made throughout the 21st century which have outlined the factors that are
affecting patient scheduling, along with the benefits and limitations of electronic patient
scheduling, in addition to the developing role of physicians and operations managers in patient
scheduling.
Research Questions, Organizational Plan, and Estimated Space
The organization of this paper is based on six research questions. The organizational
plan involves distributing the six research questions, equally, between the five group team
members as separate sections. The sub-questions and problems will be addressed by each team
member in their major section. The major research questions and estimated space are:
1. What is the background of 21st-century healthcare? (3-4 pages)
2. What factors are affecting patient scheduling? (3-4 pages)
3. What are the benefits of electronic scheduling in relation to scheduling for better provisions
in healthcare? (3-4 pages)
4. What are the barriers to electronic patient scheduling? (3-4 pages)
5. What role do physicians play in relation to scheduling for better provisions in healthcare? (34 pages).
6. What is the role of operations managers is in regard to patient scheduling? (1-2 pages).
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Statement of Topic
Scheduling for better provisions in healthcare involves understanding how electronic
scheduling systems can outperform traditional (non-automated) forms of scheduling. Electronic
scheduling then allows for the generation of data in ways that improve the utilization of better
scheduling for patient care. Additionally, electronic scheduling allows for a greater ability to
schedule patients to meet their needs and timelines rather than having to schedule to meet the
need and timeliness of the physician or practitioner. According to Ahmadi-Javid, Jalali, and
Klassen (2017), the use of electronic scheduling is becoming more prevalent since it is seen to
help improve patient safety, increase operational efficiency, and reduce costs. This paper will
seek to provide a perspective on the impact and benefits of electronic patient scheduling as it
serves to improve cost, quality, efficiency, and patient satisfaction in 21st-century healthcare.
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Introduction
Scheduling for better provisions in healthcare revolves around the idea that electronic
scheduling is better than traditional (non-automated) forms of healthcare scheduling. Regarding
scheduling for better healthcare provisions, healthcare in the 21st century has evolved to allow
for improvements across the board. These improvements include cost-cutting, quality
improvement efforts, increased access to healthcare options, and increased patient satisfaction.
Though, it is important to note that there are factors that can affect the impact of patient
scheduling. Which includes patients that cancel their appointments, fail to keep appointments,
and those who are late to their scheduled appointments. On the other side, there are many
benefits that are brought out by the creation of electronic scheduling.
The benefits work based on improving flexibility, work balance, improved patientcenteredness, reduced wait times, and the option to schedule based on specific health needs.
Additionally, there are factors that can be barriers to the use of electronic scheduling. In order to
understand what the key barriers are, one must understand the characteristics of the respondents,
the classification of and non-use of electronic patient scheduling during visits, the characteristics
of those who do not use electronic scheduling and those who use it intensely. Without this, key
barriers cannot be understood. Furthermore, physicians play a vital role in scheduling for better
healthcare provisions. This can be seen through the fact that physicians are pressured into
spending less time with their patients in order to help shorten the length of their appointments.
Operations managers also play a vital role in the use of electronic health records. Operations
managers work to provide physicians and facilities with the best options possible for decisions
regarding patient care options, with the main goal of improving patient satisfaction (Langabeer &
Helton, 2016).
What is the background of 21st-century healthcare?
I.
What background information is relevant?
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A. Improving cost, quality, access, and patient satisfaction are continuous efforts
that drive the provision of 21st-century healthcare. Consumer health information
technology is seen as a promising solution to reducing the pressure of improving
outcomes and decreasing costs (Fetherall, et al., 2018).
1. According to Wong, Nohr, Kuziemsky, Leung, and Chen (2017), the use of
health informatics serves as a cornerstone for improving the quality and
efficiency of healthcare delivery.
2. The use of electronic patient appointment scheduling increases
communication between patients and clinical staff as well as provides
efficient, high-quality service (Zhang & Kulkarni, 2017).
3. The use of health information technology for electronic patient scheduling
drives the shift from traditional healthcare delivery to a digital transformation
that supports value-based healthcare in the 21st-century healthcare setting
(Williams, Lovelock, Cabarrus, & Harvey, 2019).
II.
According to Srinivas and Ravindran (2018), the introduction of the Affordable Care Act
of 2010 resulted in a significant increase in Americans with insurance coverage thus
increasing demand for access to healthcare services.
A. Measures, such as electronic patient scheduling, have been implemented to meet
the supply and demand in healthcare to ensure utilization efficiency as well as
patient satisfaction (Srinivas & Ravindran, 2018).
B. Health information technology (HIT) infrastructure, such as electronic health
records and electronic patient scheduling allows for data to be collected and
analyzed to support operational decisions by developing solutions for controlling
costs and reducing errors (Williams, Lovelock, Cabarrus, & Harvey, 2019).
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III.
8
A key healthcare service deliverable is patient-centered care (Wong, Nohr, Kuziemsky,
Leung, & Chen, 2017).
A. Patient-centered care refers to establishing a doctor-patient relationship that
promotes communication and understanding of thoughts and preferences to
improve patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes (Choi, Hwang, & Kim, 2015).
a. Patient satisfaction regarding appointments is often measured by patient
preferences and waiting time (Ahmadi-Javid, Jalali, & Klassen, 2017).
B. Efficiency in healthcare systems has become increasingly important over the past few
decades as a primary result of rising healthcare expenditures coupled with increased
demand for healthcare services and patient expectations in quality of service
(Ahmadi-Javid, Jalali, & Klassen, 2017).
1. The most common issues across the nation that present in terms of efficiency
in patient scheduling are no-shows and cancellations (Srinivas & Ravindran,
2018; Adams, et al., 2017).
2. According to Srinivas and Ravindran (2018), “the average no-show rates for
primary care clinics vary between 14% and 50%” (p. 245).
3. A common practice to address no-shows is overbooking which may lead to
increased patient wait times, decreased patient satisfaction, physician
overtime, and ultimately increased costs (Zhang & Kulkarni, 2017).
What factors are affecting patient scheduling?
IV.
Failure by patients to attend scheduled medical appointments can be categorized one of
three ways, the first are those patients who just do not show up, those who cancel their
appointment for various reasons, and those who are late.
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A. Patient no-shows can be defined as the patient who does not appear for his/her
scheduled medical appointment (Kheirkhah, Feng, Travis-Tabasi, &
Sharafkhaneh, 2016).
1.Studies show that those patients who tend to just not show up for medical
appointments tend to be younger, of lower socioeconomic status, have a
history of failing to show for other appointments, receive governmentprovided benefits, experience psychosocial problems, and just do not
understand the reason for the appointment (Kheirkhah, Feng, TravisTabasi, & Sharafkhaneh, 2016).
2. The no-show rate tends to rise when there is an extended period of time
between making the appointment and the actual appointment (Kheirkhah,
Feng, Travis-Tabasi, & Sharafkhaneh, 2016).
3. Providers have utilized several methods in an effort to reduce patient noshows including procedure reminders, penalizing those who do not show,
and overbooking. Though it is important to note that procedure reminders
had no significant effect on the reduction of no-shows (Kheirkhah, Feng,
Travis-Tabasi, & Sharafkhaneh, 2016).
B. Late
1. Payers both government and commercial refuse to reimburse offices for
patients who either no-show or are late for their appointment (Selesnick &
Karapetyan, 2018).
2.Patients can be held responsible to financially cover the charges if the
office has not entered into a contract with the payer (Selesnick &
Karapetyan, 2018).
C. Cancellations
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1. Patients who fail to follow-through with scheduled medical appointments
can increase the cost of medical care and affect treatment effectiveness
(Norris et al, 2014).
V.
There are many factors that may occur when patients give short notice of appointment
cancellations.
A. One of the factors is that it is not easy to replace them with a new patient, leading
to loss of revenues with no labor reduction
B. It causes less appointment availability to all patients.
C. If this action becomes habitual, it will undermine the clinician-patient
relationship.
VI.
Data has shown that wait times for appointments have drastically increased in 2017
from previous years (Stat, 2020).
A. Primary care single specialties patients experience a median wait time of six days
for their third next-available appointments for new patients (Stat, 2020).
B. Surgical appointment wait times for a new patient appointment is 6.3 days (Stat,
2020).
C. In 2017 new patient appointment wait time increased to 24.1 days for those in
large metropolitan markets, this is an increase of 30% since 2014; and up 32.8%,
or 32 days in mid-sized markets (Stat, 2020).
What are the benefits of electronic scheduling in relation to scheduling for better
provisions in healthcare?
VII.
How do the benefits of electronic scheduling relate to scheduling for better provision in
healthcare?
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A. Scheduling for better provisions in healthcare works on the idea of scheduling
healthcare appointments in a way that allows for patients to keep their scheduled
appointment times (Burdett & Kozan, 2018).
B. The benefits of electronic scheduling provide opportunities for flexibility, work
balance, improved patient-centeredness, reduced wait times, and the option to
schedule to specific health needs.
1. In relation to scheduling for better provision in healthcare, the benefits
provide opportunities to provide better healthcare options for patients.
a. This is achieved by reducing wait times, office set up times,
transfer times, and any deviations that might lead to
scheduling conflicts (Burdett & Kozan, 2018).
VIII.
How can flexibility benefit electronic scheduling?
A. Flexibility can benefit electronic scheduling by allowing physicians and
healthcare providers to schedule patient’s appointments in ways that allow them
to receive appointments that benefit their schedules (Marynissen &
Demeulemeester, 2019).
1. The main goal is to be able to schedule appointments in a timely manner
that allows for quick diagnostic testing, along with treatment options that
prevail at a rate that will help the patient to lessen their health issues
(Marynissen & Demeulemeester, 2019).
2. Flexibility benefits electronic scheduling by being able to reach patients’
needs at a faster pace, which in turn help to keep or increase patient
satisfaction (Marynissen & Demeulemeester, 2019).
IX.
How work balance can benefit electronic scheduling?
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A. Work balance can benefit electronic scheduling through the use of scheduling
systems (Gavriloff, Ostrowski-Delhanty, & Oldfield, 2017).
1. Scheduling systems, such as level-loading, “can help gain greater control
over the timing of patients visits and patient access, resulting in increases
in patient access to care” (Gavriloff, Ostrowski-Delhanty, & Oldfield,
2017, p. 189).
B. A work balance can also benefit electronic scheduling by reducing the number of
times that patients have to reschedule their appointments (Rachuba & Werners,
2014).
1. This also works on the basis that physicians or provider’s schedules
update in real-time, which helps to provide schedulers with an idea of how
appointments will impact the physician or provider’s schedule (Millhiser
& Veral, 2019).
2. This will also help to reduce the amount of rescheduled appointments due
to overbooking or longer appointment times based on the type of
appointment needed (Millerhiser & Veral, 2019).
X.
Can patient-centeredness be improved by electronic scheduling?
A. Patient-centeredness can be improved by electronic scheduling through
scheduling to meet the needs of the patients.
1. By doing this, patient-centeredness can be reached by scheduling for
patients that are being treated for a disease process that already has a
treatment plan or schedule for patients that have acute healthcare problems
that do not have an identified treatment plan (Burdett & Kozan, 2018).
XI.
How can electronic scheduling reduce wait times?
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A. Electronic scheduling can reduce wait times by allowing for scheduling
opportunities that will not conflict with other appointments on the provider’s
schedule (Rachuba & Werners, 2014).
1. Double booking or overbooking of physicians, or providers, can result in
longer wait times (Rachuba & Werners, 2014).
a. Electronic scheduling can benefit patients by allowing
schedulers to see all the appointments scheduled for the
provider and schedule around those, while still being able
to meet the needs of the patient (Rachuba & Werners,
2014).
XII.
Can electronic scheduling benefit patients by scheduling to specific health needs?
A. Electronic scheduling can benefit patients by scheduling to specific health needs
and by being able to schedule directly with the needed provider (Aslani & Zhang,
2014).
1. Scheduling directly with the needed provider is enhanced by having the
provider’s schedules updated in real-time, showing them what times are
open and if there is a time block large enough to meet the patients’
healthcare needs (Millhiser & Veral, 2019).
What are the barriers to electronic patient scheduling?
XIII.
In order to understand what the barriers in electronic patient scheduling are, first, one
must understand what electronic patient scheduling is and what it means.
A. Electronic patient scheduling grants healthcare providers and facilities the ability
to schedule patients’ appointments that meet the needs of both the patient and the
physician.
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1. By doing this, patient satisfaction is put first, which helps to improve the
doctor-patient relationship.
XIV.
Electronic patient scheduling correlates with clinical outcomes.
A. This is achieved by being able to meet the needs of both the patient and the
physician.
B. There are benefits of using electronic patient scheduling.
C. There are also potential disadvantages to electronic patient scheduling.
XV.
There are many different methods of data collection.
A. For instance, there are practical settings, use of health patient scheduling, and
surveys.
XVI.
With data analysis, there are two forms that are directly related to electronic patient
scheduling.
A. These include statistical analysis and strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and
threats (SWOT) analysis.
XVII.
The results include the key barriers to the use of electronic patient scheduling.
A. The key barriers to electronic patient scheduling are characteristics of the
respondents, classification of and non-use of electronic patient scheduling
during visits, characteristics of electronic patient scheduling non-users,
characteristics of electronic patient scheduling intensive users, and downfalls to
using electronic patient scheduling (Bush, Connelly, Fuller, & Perez, 2016).
XVIII.
This brings forth the discussion of resolving these issues.
A. This is accomplished by identifying ways to remove electronic patient
scheduling and the limitations of our survey and analysis.
What role do physicians play in relation to scheduling for better provisions in healthcare?
XIX.
Physicians today are pressured to see more patients in less time for less reimbursement.
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A. Clinic inefficiencies result when patients arrive and clinic resources are not
available to serve them (Hribar, Read-Brown, Reznick, & Chiang, 2017).
1. Simulation models predict that scheduling according to length
significantly decreases patient wait times and session length (Hribar,
Read-Brown, Reznick, & Chiang, 2017).
2. Using electronic health record (EHR) data allows for a detailed analysis of
a new scheduling template and can evaluate the effects of compliance
(Hribar, Read-Brown, Reznick, & Chiang, 2017).
XX.
What is an Electronic Health System (EHR)?
A. The EHR provision aims to pull the healthcare industry into the 21st century in its
use of computers to improve the delivery of care (Hall & Partyka, 2012).
1. Scheduling aims to improve the match between healthcare resources and
patient needs; there must be a good scheduling system to reduce patient
wait time (Hall & Partyka, 2012).
2. Scheduling systems run on computer platforms and can generate, capture,
and analyze data to produce better schedules (Hall & Partyka, 2012).
XXI.
In healthcare management, waiting time for consultation is an important measure that has
strong associations with patient satisfaction; therefore, it is required to optimize medical
scheduling for clinicians.
A. The longer patients must wait before their consultation can take place, the less
satisfied they are, which may lead to decreasing profits (Cho, Song, Yoo, &
Reijer, 2019).
1. A study experimented with four different scheduling strategies: decrease
the number of appointments per reservation slot, make a break time in the
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middle of the clinic session, rearrange patients’ reservation, and subdivide
reservation intervals (Cho, Song, Yoo, & Reijer, 2019).
2. Simulation analysis created by collecting data from the EHR system with
raw data (Cho, Song, Yoo, & Reijer, 2019).
XXII.
With scheduling, how are physicians really spending their time?
A. In a study, physicians used EHRs to capture logs studying physicians’ use of time
(Tai-Seale, et al., 2017).
1. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) has indicated its intention
to monitors practices to ensure the delivery of high-quality healthcare
under the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus model (Tai-Seale, et al.,
2017).
2. Access logs on EHRs provide a simple and unobtrusive way to examine
how clinicians spend a significant portion of their time (Tai-Seale, et al.,
2017).
3. Data can help create and assess how best to deploy clinical and other
resources to maximize the value of their patients and services (Tai-Seale,
et al., 2017).
What is the role of operations managers is in regard to patient scheduling?
XXIII.
In order to understand the role that operations managers play regarding patient
scheduling, their discipline must, first, be understood.
A. The discipline of operations management “integrates scientific principles of
management to determine the most efficient and optimal methods to support
patient care delivery” (Langabeer & Helton, 2016, p. 3).
XXIV.
Operations managers are those who direct and transform the processes that are used to
help improve the delivery of patient-centered care (Langabeer & Helton, 2016).
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A. They are responsible for managing the improvement processes for their healthcare
organization (KC, Scholtes, & Terwiesch, 2020).
1. Operations managers also find ways to reduce costs and variability, while
improving logistics flow, productivity, quality of customer service, and
business processes (Langabeer & Helton, 2016).
XXV.
Operations manager’s role in scheduling
A. Operations managers are responsible for the scheduling of treatments that are
needed by patients (Carter, Hans, & Kolisch, 2012).
1. Through this, they can make “considerable contributions for the effective
and efficient delivery of healthcare services” (Carter, Hans, & Kolisch,
2012, p. 315).
B. Staff managers should forecast and determine the future staff size based on
uncertainty to ensure that they have their ability and flexibility to assign extra
staff to other departments/teams or request extra staff from other
departments/teams, as necessary (Chen, Lin, & Peng, 2015).
1. It is imperative to understand that many hospitals still assign a manager or
director to schedule staff shifts, which is a time-consuming task.
C. For staff scheduling, this is usually the responsibility of a department chair or a
team leader.
1. A department chair needs to negotiate the size of the medical staff with
each group leader prior to making the schedule, collect historical
scheduling data and monthly schedules.
D. An operations manager must comply with hospital policies, government
regulations, and radiological technologists’ preferences. The manager usually
spends two or three days manually generating a monthly schedule.
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Conclusion
In conclusion, increased demands for better care, lower costs, and improved efficiency
have been key drivers in improving the delivery of healthcare. The introduction of health
information technology such as electronic patient scheduling has served as a means for
improving both efficiency and patient satisfaction. Though, it is important to note that there are
many factors that can affect patient scheduling. The most important to acknowledge are patient
no-shows, late arrivals, and cancellations. The benefits of electronic scheduling in relation to
scheduling for better provision in healthcare are those of flexibility, work balance, improved
patient-centeredness, reduced wait times, and options for scheduling to specific healthcare needs.
Additionally, there are barriers that are created with the use of electronic health records. These
are understood through the analysis of those who use electronic scheduling. Physicians have a
vital role in scheduling for better healthcare provisions. They are responsible for providing
patient-centered care, along with making sure that their provided care does not outweigh their
timeline or profitability. Furthermore, operations managers provide work to improve the quality
of care that is delivered to patients. For patient scheduling, this is achieved through developing
schedules that comply with hospital policies, government regulations, and radiological
technologists’ preferences. Overall, the main goal is to provide better healthcare options for
patients regardless of their healthcare condition or needs.
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