People are resources, and like any resource they need to be utilized carefully and to maximum benefit. Here are four tips for lean and efficient staffing in the ambulatory surgery center environment.
1. Schedule based on customer demand. Consumerism in healthcare is only beginning. Patient demand is no longer a secondary concern. Schedule staff hours based on customer demand, according to a Forbes article. Aligning with patient need will minimize the amount of downtime ASC staff experiences.
2. Review staffing strategies regularly. While scheduling can be done in advance, it is helpful to review how staff hours are being utilized each day. Regular monitoring can identify an area of inefficiency and allow for necessary changes to be made, according to a Becker's ASC Review article.
3. Flexible staffing. Create a culture of flexibility. Though staff may seek overtime hours, those are an added staffing expense. Seek to instill the expectation of flexibility into the day-to-day operations of the center, according to the Becker's ASC Review article.
4. Compress case scheduling. Work to compress cases into a continuous block to avoid long gaps of staff inactivity. Build close relationships with physician office case schedulers and manage physician expectations for as efficient as possible case blocks, according to the Becker's ASC Review article.