Centralized Scheduling and Registration

[Guest guest]

I have been asked by our hospital administration to chair a CQI (Continuous

Quality Improvement) Team to investigate a hopsital wide central scheduling

and registration system for our 525 bed hospital and ancillary services (All

outpatient services). Does anyone have suggestions on how/if you are using

centralized scheduling/registration and how it is working and what have been

the pitfalls, successes and so on. I would be really interested in how your

info services department was involved and what software your hospital is

using. Thanks

Collen Queen, PT

Director of Outpatient Rehab

Valley Baptist Medical Center

Harlingen, Texas

[Guest guest]

Colleen: I work for a software company that develops and markets enterprise

scheduling software which was initially developed to handle the complex

scheduling requirements in the rehab marketplace and over time has evolved to

include all disciplines (including surgery). We have many customers that have

moved from departmental scheduling to centralized scheduling. The degree of

success in migrating to a centralized system is directly related to a few key

factors.

The structure of the new department.- It works best to bring in the

schedulers from each of the major departments. During the initial phase of

the transition that scheduler becomes the expert in scheduling those services

and gives the others on the team an opportunity to learn the nuances in

scheduling those types of patients. This also allows for the reallocation of

resources and encourages buy-in from key players in the process.

Overall cultural environment at the hospital.- I know this is a surprise but

departments will tend to be territorial and resistant because of the " unique

complexity " in managing their department's schedules. (Surgery mighty be the

exception to a centralized scenario although it can be done with dedicated

resources in the scheduling department.) It will be important to involve all

departments and educate them on the benefits from the beginning. Information

Services should also be included as a key component in the process but they

shouldn't drive the process.

Choosing the right software. - At the risk of sounding like an advertisement,

the software should be flexible enough to respond to the unique requirements

of each department while offering consistency in the workflow process.

Specific functionality should include procedure rules, instructions, and

health questions that will automatically prompt the scheduler. Appointment

conflict checking across the enterprise and the ability to coordinate

multidiscipline appointments. The software should also interface with

existing HIS systems such as registration and billing.

I would be happy to discuss this with you further or put you in touch with

customers that have had firsthand experience. Although this can seem like a

daunting task the end result will improve overall operations and ultimately,

the way you service your patients.

Please feel free to contact me directly.

Steve Brothers

R & L Software Associates, Inc.

Salem, Massachusetts

SBrot7@...