Anesthesia burnout continues to challenge hospitals and health systems. Some systems have already had to scale back case volumes because of provider shortages.
However, early evidence shows that schedule redesigns and flexibility initiatives may help stabilize the workforce.
New Orleans-based Ochsner Health redesigned its scheduling approach with PerfectServe’s Lightning Bolt platform. The system implemented the platform to improve transparency and balance in case assignments, aiming to reduce dissatisfaction tied to uneven schedules.
The change generated measurable benefits: automated schedule creation saved about 720 hours annually, vacation request approval improved by 55% and provider satisfaction scores rose from 3.3 to 4.17 in less than a year. Ochsner also reduced care transitions by 15% in the first six months, which leaders estimated prevented 26 patient harm events and saved about $600,000.
Chapel Hill, N.C.-based UNC Health has also focused on flexibility. The system partnered with ShiftMed, a leader in healthcare workforce technology, to launch Flex scheduling software.
“Healthcare workforce dynamics have shifted, and hospitals must adapt by leveraging in-house resources to provide flexibility and cost efficiency,” Todd Walrath, CEO of ShiftMed, told Becker’s. “By investing in internal float pools and prioritizing their engagement, health systems like UNC Health can ensure a more reliable and sustainable workforce.”
Cultural perceptions remain a challenge.
“Surgeons, pre-operative nurses, PACU nurses and others think they’re getting an inferior product because staff don’t have an MD after their name,” Daniel Fagin, MD, medical director of anesthesiology at Evanston, Ill.-based Endeavor Health, told Becker’s. “They don’t realize that it’s a care team providing care for a patient and there are a lot of benefits to that.”
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