One of the biggest challenges for managers with teams in the field is figuring out who is right for the job. Matching complex, ever-changing customer needs with a diverse group of uniquely qualified mobile workers is an ongoing challenge.
Managing a mobile workforce comes with plenty of inherent challenges. Just directing your mobile workers to where they need to be can feel like you’re playing the world’s longest game of RISK®. When you add in other must-haves—like tracking of your employees’ certifications and qualifications, billable time, and the details of customer interactions—it’s easy to see why things get overlooked, undone, or done incorrectly.
In today’s fast-moving environment, the best solution is a single system of record that manages and tracks everything together.
Disconnected Systems vs. a Single System of Record
Depending on your industry, you may use several different software systems to run your business—some of which talk to each other, and others that don’t. For instance, you might store your customer information in a CRM, map out the daily schedule on a spreadsheet, have separate systems for billing and finance, and use yet another group of apps for your human resources and personnel needs.
In this scenario, a simple request to schedule a home healthcare worker becomes a multi-step process:
- Search the customer database for the specifics of the account, patient, care requirements, and insurance limitations.
- Consult the schedule (which may or may not be up to date) to determine who’s available.
- Based on your pool of available providers, narrow down the list to find the person who should take the appointment: someone with the necessary certifications and experience, such as an existing relationship with the patient. This will probably entail consulting multiple spreadsheets, emails, and calendars.
- Navigate the provider to the job site.
- Collect completed paperwork and transport it to the back office.
- Process the patient paperwork, the timesheet, and other necessary forms.
- Provide that information to the correct people internally to file a claim, bill the patient, or do both.
Imagine how easy this process would be with integrated systems: You could see at a glance who is available, where they are, and if they have the right experience and certifications to serve the patient. Instead of waiting for replies to emails and calls, you would send them to the job site with the push of a button and get real-time updates on the job status. You could notify the client they’re on the way with certainty, see exactly when they arrive and leave, have all necessary forms completed on a mobile app, and sync all the data back to HQ in real-time—saving your business unnecessary time and effort while providing a better customer experience.
Which process would you rather have in your business?
The Challenge of Interoperability in Healthcare
Interoperability is both a business challenge and a challenging concept, especially in the healthcare sector, and is often confused with integration. There are important differences between system integration and system interoperability.
Bobby Roberts, Senior Vice President of Development at Surgical Information Systems, puts it this way: “Interoperable systems speak the same language. On the other hand, integration is a lot more like having a conversation through an interpreter.” Systems that are interoperable are already built to speak to each other and don’t require an additional system to act as a translator. Integrated systems, on the other hand, store data in ways that can be translated from one to the other, but need a middle system to conduct that translation. APIs are most frequently the tool that allows for this translation between integrated systems.
When you consider HIPAA regulations and the prohibitive cost of all-new healthcare technology systems, it’s no surprise that connecting healthcare systems have been a major challenge for the industry. Home healthcare organizations, hospitals, and other healthcare groups have struggled to make data accessible across different internal and external electronic health record (EHR) systems. This presents challenges for patients and their onsite providers, who may have an inaccurate or incomplete view of a patient’s medical history, insurance requirements, or other vital information.
Despite the extra challenges specific to healthcare, providers are making headway on the issue of interconnectivity. Whether it’s rethinking the technology stack from the ground up or making room for new, more closely integrated technologies, providers are working toward integrated systems that improve overall patient care.
See how Skedulo successfully integrated advanced scheduling tools into existing business technologies for two healthcare providers, New Jersey Respiratory Associates and HealthStrong.
How Skedulo Brings Systems Together
Integrated systems save you time and money while creating a better customer experience, increasing visibility, and decreasing errors. With Skedulo’s mobile workforce management system, you can add advanced scheduling capabilities to your existing apps and systems without unnecessary complexity.
The Skedulo platform helps you analyze workforce KPIs, forecast demand and resources in advance, and streamline operations with easier scheduling and dispatching. Skedulo works with customers to develop custom solutions to the toughest scheduling challenges. Request a demo today to see how Skedulo can help you improve workforce visibility and better manage your workforce!
