Objectives. Introduction

Transcription

1 Technician Scheduling: Snafus and Solutions ASOA-San Diego, California April 2015 Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston Jacqueline Pereira, BS, CCRC, COT Emily Beem, BS, COA Objectives Create an effective technician schedule for a multiple location practice Communicate scheduling in an accessible, timely and consistent manner Recognize opportunities when covering sick/vacation time Introduction Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston(OCB)- Large Multiple Location Private Ophthalmology office 8 Locations in greater Boston Area 34 Ophthalmologists and 16 optometrists 140+ Technicians-with the majority of them traveling between location OCB mission excellence in eye care Benefits of the traveling Ophthalmic Technician Consistency MD preference/patient care/staffing Diversity Technician is diversified in office patient population as well as the specific office surroundings (i.e. directions and landmarks) Versatility Ability to work in different sub-specialties Availability- Greater pool of techs to pull from to meet staffing needs Productivity- Reducing downtime while maximizing resources Snafus Overview Incomplete staffing scheduling templates, erroneous entries Miscommunication between supervisors/managers Schedules being difficult to interpret Benefits far outweigh the challenges. The challenges can be addressed with thoughtful scheduling consideration, a well-organized template and good communication.

2 Snafu How do I know if another office has staff available? Each Office using a different template/symbols/colors. What do they mean? Whoops-a technician is assigned in two locations on the same day! Techs getting assigned in two locations on same day. Ummm-{Your Name here} I am scheduled with Dr. Manifest Every Patient and I don t refract Incorrectly assigning techs-due to not knowing skill set. Finding Coverage- Covering sick call/vacations. from admin when you are out of the office: Who is scheduled to work with Dr. Compulsive today? He really needs to know right now. Doctors/Admins involved in scheduling Did I schedule enough help for each doctor? Determine appropriate staffing per MD/OD Solution One template for all offices. Providing a color coded KEY Providing additional information (dates in tab, office location) Having techs be responsible for checking only one schedule (Home office schedule) Making notation of office location in addition to MD assignment on the tech schedule. Completely filling out all 5 days on technician schedules in all offices. Including information about a technician s normal assignment Allows other managers to be able to determine refracting techs vs non refracting etc. This is based on Managers knowing the types of work ups each MD require. Sharing Staff between locations Use of an easy to read template in all offices Good Communication Technician schedules are located in a centralized location and accessible to all MD/OD/Managers/techs/Admins etc Sorting in excel spreadsheet to make sure staffing levels are appropriate. As determined by patient counts patients per tech for refracting clinic patients for retina/non refracting clinic.

3 How to create and effective technician schedule 1. Determine a template that will work for your needs (what works for OCB below) 2. Formatting-make visually pleasing/easy to look at/removal of erroneous entries. 3. Date and Day of week 4. Alphabetic order of technician s last names 5. Use of MD initials and location for assignment 6. Color codes-visual cue (providing KEY) a. Differentiating between sick/vacation/normal days off-helpful for allocating tech time at end of month. b. Grey Box-a means to identify that tech is scheduled to be at work but does not have an assignment at that point in time. Also acts is a visual cue that staff is available if needed. A/B A&B * Morning/afternoon assignment Silumtaneous assignment Scheduled day off Unassigned, available for clinic PTO requested day off Sick call Changed within 1 week Benefits Finding solutions to staffing issues Suggestions for coverage-easily determined Technicians understand that doctors are appreciative of their willingness to travel. Unexpected Benefits Reduced number of calls and s from admins and MD s Reduced technician stress and confusion Improved management team morale and communication Important items to remember Communication-having a good relationship with other offices and managers as well as technicians Consider Travel Reimbursement Providing a why to technicians when making changes that affect current week schedules Conclusion There needs to be a continued understanding that there is still a human component to creating a technician schedule It is the added personal connection we have with all of our technicians that allow us to meet the needs and expectations of our practice.

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5 Alphabetical order Date Initials and Location Clinical Coverage KEY Sick Calls New Assignments