What is RosterOps?
Sarah Ramsey
Healthcare Faces Some Specific Workforce Challenges
Healthcare organizations face unique workforce challenges that require special attention and innovative solutions. These challenges include, but aren’t limited to:
Multiple concurrent workflows, such as credentialing requirements, malpractice, state licensure, privileges, hiring, internal onboarding, and organization and site-level training and standard operating procedures.- Multi-layer approval channels involving the business side, clinical side, site level, and centralized departments.
- Shortages have led to the emergence of strategic care models and a variety of labor categories, including full-time employed, agency locum, float pools, 1099s, part-time W2, and traveler W2 programs.
- Ensuring legal and operational commitments in contracts are matched in scheduling and payments, such as shift minimums, consecutive shifts/hours, and minimum consecutive shifts for patient continuity.
- Skill and credential matching for efficient deployment of care teams across various care settings.
- Complex compensation and scheduling, with organizations striving to have compensation mirror workload and desirability, leading to various rate differentials and rate types for premiums on days/nights, weekends, holidays, and different activities like call vs. regular pay.
CRM/ATS:
Mostly horizontal (industry agnostic) options built for sales, lacking the nuances of healthcare workforce management.
VMS:
Built for managing contingent/third-party staff, offering only a piece of the staffing puzzle with limited scheduling capabilities, collaboration/project management tools and reporting.
Schedulers:
Inability to utilize the full potential without relevant credentials, expirations, skill, and onboarding data, and lacking spend management and compensation management visibility. They are also lacking collaboration with external vendors and clients to get the schedule optimally filled.
Project management software:
Requires extensive configuration and lacks robust scheduler capabilities with the team and spend calculation features.
Email, Excel, and standing phone calls:
Used to fill collaboration gaps, requiring manual data tracking and recurring meetings leaving each team to maintain and update their own source of truth.
Chapter 1: The 3 Pillars of RosterOps- Chapter 2: The RosterOps Framework in Action
- Chapter 3: Overcoming Common RosterOps Challenges
- Chapter 4: The Benefits of Adopting RosterOps
- Chapter 5: Getting Started with RosterOps
- Chapter 6: Conclusion and Next Steps
Pillar 1: Collaboration
The critical role of a centralized RosterOps team
RosterOps teams play a vital role in bringing together recruitment, credentialing, operations, and finance teams to ensure a cohesive caregiver delivery operations framework. These teams are responsible for:
Facilitating cross-functional alignment and communication.- Breaking down silos between departments.
- Turning visitors into leads.
Key roles and responsibilities
Within a RosterOps team, each member has specific roles and responsibilities that contribute to the overall success of the workforce management process. These roles may include recruitment specialists, credentialing experts, operations managers, and financial analysts.
By working together and leveraging their individual strengths, RosterOps team members can effectively tackle the complexities of healthcare workforce management.
Pillar 2: Process/Workflows
Standardizing and optimizing end-to-end processes
To ensure efficient and effective workforce management, RosterOps teams must focus on standardizing and optimizing end-to-end processes and the stakeholders responsible at each step in the process. This involves tasks such as mapping the clinician lifecycle from recruitment to offboarding, scheduling to payment approvals as well as identifying bottlenecks and inefficiencies. RosterOps teams are also responsible for implementing best practices and streamlined workflows.
Designing efficient workflows for the clinician lifecycle
RosterOps teams should design workflows that cover the entire clinician lifecycle, including:
- Recruitment and onboarding.
- Credentialing, privileging, state licensure, payor enrollment (new and expiration monitoring).
- Scheduling and deployment.
- Time tracking and payroll.
- Performance management and retention.
By creating efficient workflows for each stage of the clinician lifecycle, RosterOps teams can minimize errors, reduce time-to-fill, and improve overall workforce management.
Pillar 3: Data/Technology
Establishing a data-driven decision-making framework
Data and technology play a crucial role in RosterOps by enabling organizations to make informed, data-driven decisions. To establish a data-driven decision-making framework, RosterOps teams should:
- Identify key metrics and KPIs for RosterOps success.
- Implement systems and processes for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data.
- Use data insights to continuously improve workforce management strategies.
The importance of a unified Workforce Relationship Management (WRM) platform
A unified Workforce Relationship Management (WRM) platform is essential for RosterOps teams to effectively manage their healthcare workforce. A WRM platform needs to offer centralized data management, real-time visibility into workforce metrics, and streamlined communication and collaboration tools for internal collaboration, workforce collaboration as well as collaboration with vendors and clients.
Leveraging a WRM platform with automated workflows and processes, helps RosterOps teams break down data silos, improve efficiency, and make data-driven decisions to optimize their workforce management strategies.
Essential features and capabilities of RosterOps technology
To support the RosterOps methodology, it’s a good idea for organizations to look for technology solutions that offer the following essential features and capabilities:
- Practice and User Management - Define the care locations your teams are dispatched to.
- Partner Management - Define the outside organizations you collaborate with like staffing suppliers or clients.
- Recruitment (Job Dispatching) and onboarding tools for both internal and external workforce (as a vendor (VMS) and client portal).
- Credential, license, and profile management or entire caregiver network.
- Scheduling and deployment functionality.
- Time approval and payroll integration.
- Performance management and analytics.
By investing in technology that supports these critical functions, RosterOps teams can effectively deploy their workforce and drive better outcomes for their organizations.
In summary, the three pillars of RosterOps - collaboration, process/workflows, and data/technology - form the foundation of a successful healthcare workforce management strategy. When you focus on these core elements, organizations can overcome common challenges in the healthcare workforce.
Planning and Strategy
Aligning RosterOps objectives with organizational goals
The first step in implementing RosterOps is to align the framework's objectives with the organization's overall goals. This involves:
- Identifying key performance indicators (KPIs) for workforce management.
- Setting targets for cost optimization, staff retention, and patient care quality.
- Communicating the importance of RosterOps to stakeholders across the organization.
Designing compensation structures and org charts
To support RosterOps, organizations must design compensation structures and org charts that promote collaboration and accountability. For starters this may entail creating a centralized RosterOps team with clearly defined roles and responsibilities. You’ll also want to consider developing compensation models that incentivize performance in alignment with your strategy. Finally, it’s a good idea to establish reporting lines and decision-making protocols.
Workflow Automation
With workflow automation, there is a balancing act. The goal is to streamline clinician work without losing the human connection.
Streamlining manual processes
To reduce administrative burden and improve efficiency, RosterOps teams should identify manual processes that can be automated. A few manual processes you may be able to streamline are applicant tracking, schedule reminders, expiration tracking, and other analytics. Additionally, you could automate things like shift scheduling, time tracking, and payroll processing.
Implementing closed-loop and automated expiration monitoring workflows
Ensuring clinician credentials and licenses remain up-to-date is critical for compliance and patient safety. RosterOps teams should implement closed-loop and automated expiration monitoring workflows that take the following steps:
- Alert clinicians and managers of upcoming expirations.
- Provide easy access to resources for renewal and support.
- Track compliance metrics and report on performance, productivity and team capacity.
Data Management and Analytics
Data transparency in healthcare workforce management empowers organizations to make informed decisions, optimize operations, and improve care quality by providing real-time visibility into comprehensive, reliable data across all critical systems and processes.
Developing a data governance strategy
To support data-driven decision making, RosterOps teams must develop a robust data governance strategy. This involves:
- Identifying data sources and systems of record.
- Establishing data quality standards and metrics.
- Implementing policies and procedures for data access, security, and privacy.
Enabling data sharing and visibility across teams
Breaking down data silos is essential for effective RosterOps. Organizations should invest in technology solutions that enable real-time data sharing and visibility across departments. You also want to keep an eye out for solutions that offer centralized reporting and analytics as well as collaborative decision-making and problem-solving.
Performance Monitoring and Optimization
Data transparency in healthcare workforce management empowers organizations to make informed decisions, optimize operations, and improve care quality by providing real-time visibility into comprehensive, reliable data across all critical systems and processes.
Establishing metrics and reporting cadences
To continuously improve workforce management, RosterOps teams must establish key metrics and reporting cadences. For example, defining and tracking KPIs for recruitment, onboarding, scheduling, and retention. It’s a good idea to set targets and benchmarks for performance and conduct regular performance reviews and feedback sessions.
Conducting forecast analysis and identifying efficiencies
RosterOps teams should leverage data analytics to conduct forecast analysis and identify opportunities for efficiency gains. This involves:
- Analyzing historical data to predict future staffing needs.
- Identifying patterns and trends in workforce management metrics.
- Identify recruitment gaps to get ahead of turnover or growth.
- Conducting root cause analysis of performance gaps and inefficiencies.
By following this RosterOps framework, healthcare organizations can break down silos, streamline processes, and drive better outcomes for their workforce and patients. The key is to approach RosterOps as an ongoing journey of continuous improvement, rather than a one-time initiative.
1. Resistance to Change
One of the biggest challenges in implementing RosterOps is overcoming resistance to change. For example, many organizations believe that simply investing in analytics tools will be enough to break down silos and improve workforce management. However, true collaboration and insight require more than just data. It requires a platform that enables teams to work together and make sense of the data in real-time.
To overcome this challenge, RosterOps leaders must:
To optimize workforce management, RosterOps teams must map the entire clinician lifecycle from recruitment to the first paycheck to offboarding. This involves tasks such as identifying all touchpoints and handoffs between departments and documenting current processes and workflows as well as what your ideal process should be. RosterOps teams should always be working on identifying opportunities for improvement and standardization.
- Communicate the value of collaboration and shared decision-making.
- Provide training and support to help teams adapt to new ways of working.
- Celebrate early wins and share success stories to build momentum.
2. Inadequate Technology and Data Management
Many healthcare organizations rely on disparate systems and manual processes to manage their workforce, which can lead to data silos, errors, and inefficiencies.
To overcome this challenge, RosterOps teams must:
To optimize workforce management, RosterOps teams must map the entire clinician lifecycle from recruitment to first paycheck to offboarding. This involves tasks such as identifying all touchpoints and handoffs between departments, and documenting current processes and workflows as well as what your ideal process should be. RosterOps teams should always be working on identifying opportunities for improvement and standardization.
- Assess current technology and data management practices.
- Identify gaps and opportunities for improvement.
- Invest in a unified WRM platform that can support end-to-end workforce management.
- Develop policies and procedures for data governance and quality assurance.
3. Lack of Clarity in Roles and Responsibilities
This challenge is specifically related to key metrics like hitting start dates for new hires. Without clear ownership and accountability, important tasks can fall through the cracks, leading to delays and frustration.
To overcome this challenge, RosterOps teams must:
- Define clear roles and responsibilities for each stage of the workforce management lifecycle.
- Establish ownership and accountability for key metrics and outcomes.
- Implement processes and workflows that support collaboration and communication.
- Use technology to track progress and identify potential roadblocks.
4. Insufficient Resources and Expertise
Finally, many healthcare organizations struggle with insufficient resources and expertise when it comes to implementing RosterOps. Workforce management is a complex field, and it can be challenging to stay up-to-date with best practices.
To overcome this challenge, RosterOps teams must:
- Invest in training and professional development for RosterOps team members.
- Partner with external experts and consultants who can provide guidance and support.
- Participate in industry forums and events to stay connected with peers and learn from their experiences.
- Advocate for adequate resources and funding to support RosterOps initiatives.
It's important to remember that change takes time, and there will be obstacles along the way. However, if you address these common challenges head-on, healthcare organizations can set themselves up for success in implementing a transformative RosterOps approach.
1. Discover Your RosterOps Management Style
The first step in getting started with RosterOps is to assess your organization's current state of workforce management. One useful tool for this is the RosterOps Quiz, which evaluates your organization across four key dimensions: people, process/workflows, data/technology, and collaboration. By taking the RosterOps Management Style Quiz, you can quickly identify areas of strength and opportunity and prioritize your implementation efforts accordingly.
5. Establish RosterOps Functions
One of the key components of RosterOps is establishing a dedicated RosterOps team with clear roles and responsibilities.
This might involve:
- Clarifying roles and responsibilities of your RosterOps team
- Identifying key stakeholders and decision-makers
- Building out your RosterOps team with the right mix of skills and expertise
- Establishing governance structures and communication channels
- Assembling the right team and technology stack
6. Standardize and Optimize Processes/Workflows
Another critical step in RosterOps implementation is standardizing and optimizing your workforce management processes and workflows.
This might involve:
- Defining workflows for cross-department, cross org and staff engagement
- Identifying opportunities for automation and streamlining
- Establishing clear handoffs and communication protocols
- Documenting processes and training teams on new ways of working Scheduling and Staffing
7. Build Your Tech Infrastructure
To truly realize the benefits of RosterOps, it's essential to have the right technology infrastructure in place. This means investing in a robust, healthcare-specific workforce relationship management (WRM) platform like Kimedics that can:
- Enforce workflows and approval hierarchies
- Serve as a collaboration tool across teams
- Provide logging/tracking/approval functionality
- Offer workforce management tools and automation for onboarding, scheduling, pay/invoicing, analytics
8. Establish KPIs and goals
Establishing clear key performance indicators (KPIs) and goals is critical for measuring the success of your RosterOps implementation and driving continuous improvement. Some common RosterOps KPIs might include:
- Time-to-fill for open positions
- Turnover rates
- Schedule coverage and uncovered shifts
- Labor costs and budget variance
- Provider satisfaction scores
9. Document Data Management and Analytics
Data management and analytics are key enablers of RosterOps, providing the insights needed to make informed decisions and drive continuous improvement. To effectively leverage data in your RosterOps efforts, it's important to:
- Establish clear data governance policies and procedures
- Identify key data sources and integrate them into your WRM platform
- Develop dashboards and reports to track KPIs and identify trends
- Train teams on data literacy and analysis
10. Monitor, iterate, and share results
Integrating Agile principles into the RosterOps framework enables healthcare organizations to foster collaboration, flexibility, and data-driven decision-making, empowering them to effectively manage their clinical workforce and adapt to changing needs while delivering high-quality patient care.
That said, it's important to remember that RosterOps is not a one-time implementation, but an ongoing process of continuous improvement. To ensure the success of your RosterOps efforts over time, it's essential to:
- Develop an implementation roadmap with clear milestones and timelines
- Continuously monitor and identify areas for improvement
- Iterate on processes and workflows based on feedback and lessons learned
- Share results and celebrate successes with stakeholders across the organization
By following these steps and leveraging the right tools and frameworks, healthcare organizations can successfully implement RosterOps and drive transformative improvements in workforce management and patient care delivery.
