Leading Medical Group Optimizes Labor Management to Increase Transparency, Flexibility and Standardization of Staffing Needs
OMAHA, Neb. – August 12, 2014 – Avantas, a leading provider of strategic labor management technology, services and strategies for the healthcare industry, today announced that the Penn State Hershey Medical Group has saved more than $800,000 in one year since implementing Avantas’ consulting services and healthcare enterprise labor management solutions.
In March 2013, Penn State Hershey leveraged Avantas’ HELM™ (healthcare enterprise labor management) methodology to increase transparency, visibility and standardization of staffing needs via a variable staffing model, resource sharing across more than 50 clinics, and centralized resource management. The Medical Group also implemented Avantas’ Smart Square® scheduling technology to create a transparent, cost-effective and repeatable process to leverage labor resources across the enterprise. Using Avantas’ technology, Penn State Hershey Medical Group was able to achieve more than $800,000 in savings by decreasing overtime and incidental worked time and reducing full-time equivalent (FTE) leakage. The accomplishments the Medical Group has realized this year through their dedication to achieving their operational goals earned them the “Change Maker Award” at the 2014 Avantas client retreat.
“In a competitive market with declining reimbursement and an emphasis on delivering value-based care, every dollar counts,” said Sherri Luchs, Chief Administrative Officer, Penn State Hershey Medical Group. “We knew that our workforce was one of our most valuable resources, but we needed a way to standardize our scheduling policies to create efficiencies across all practice sites. Working with Avantas, we implemented best practices and redesigned our labor management strategy not only to achieve savings but to increase our staffing flexibility to meet fluctuating patient demand.”
Avantas’ Smart Square technology is the only healthcare scheduling and productivity software that combines demand forecasting with robust scheduling functionality, enterprise transparency, and business intelligence tools all in one application. The flexible platform interfaces with Penn State Hershey’s existing IT systems including their HRIS, EMR, Time & Attendance and Payroll systems, providing users timely access to actionable data they can use to drive significant improvements to meet their organizational goals.
“As healthcare organizations begin to move from fee-for-service to value-based care models, the need to deliver cost-effective, quality care is more important than ever before,” said Jackie Larson, Senior Vice President, Avantas. “What’s unique about Penn State Hershey is that they’ve been able to leverage our HELM methodology across both the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and the Medical Group to achieve incredible efficiencies and nearly two million dollars in savings – system wide. This true enterprise approach is the first step to what must become the industry norm.”
HELM represents a disruptive innovation for the healthcare industry, challenging organizations to rethink what is possible with regard to labor management in all departments. The approach is comprehensive and sophisticated – combining the science of workforce planning, demand forecasting, operational best practices, and a complete set of scheduling and staffing tools. Avantas has leveraged unique client experiences across provider organizations of all sizes to detail effective methodologies that help organizations rise above departmental silos and implement a consistent and effective way to integrate labor across the enterprise.
About Penn State Milton S. Hersey Medical Center
Founded in 1963 through a gift from The Milton S. Hershey Foundation, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center is one of the leading teaching and research hospitals in the country. The 541-bed Medical Center is a provider of high-level, patient-focused medical care. The Medical Center campus also includes Penn State College of Medicine (Penn State’s medical school), Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, and Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital—the region’s only children’s hospital. The Medical Center campus is part of Penn State Hershey Health System, which also includes the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute, Penn State Hershey Rehabilitation Hospital, and other specialty facilities.
About Avantas
Developers of the HELMTM methodology (healthcare enterprise labor management), Avantas is devoted to serving the healthcare industry. Its proprietary approach to managing labor consists of workforce planning services and a patented scheduling and productivity solution, Smart Square. This comprehensive approach provides its clients with tailored best practice labor management strategies designed to drive substantial and sustaining cost and quality improvements across the enterprise through automation. For more information, please visit the Avantas website at www.Avantas.com.
