As we get older, our needs change. Our grandparents needs are different from our parents needs, and our parents needs are different from our own. The population of elderly people in this country is rising. So, the demand on staff and facilities also goes up. As in any industry, everyone is asked to do more with less. This is also true in the healthcare industry.
The Healthcare industry, specifically long term care facilities like nursing homes, are responsible for taking care of elderly residents. These residents have many tasks that they cannot perform, and they need help. The LTC facility is also responsible for the meals and the medications of all of the residence.
Many LTC facilities struggle with a number of challenges, one of which is scheduling. Many LTC facilities still manually schedule shifts, and spend a great deal of time maneuvering that piece of the equation. Whether it is spreadsheets, or out-dated manual schedules, these methods are a time and money waster and do not allow you to easily fix.
Another problem that LTC facilities struggle with is trying to prevent overtime. Since labor is the biggest expense an LTC facility has, overtime even add more fuel to the fire. Most LTC facilities have higher than ever demands to cut costs, and this means preventing overtime.
A third problem these facilities have is shift management once the schedule is set. If someone calls in sick, what do you do? How do you take from Peter and not rob Paul? Most of the time someone has to spend tons of time on the phone trying to get a hold of someone who is available and qualified to fill the shift.
These problems can be resolved as a facility automates their procedures. The old way of doing things simply costs too much money and time.