How to Create Fair Schedules to Improve Satisfaction and Reduce Physician Burnout

How to Create Fair Schedules to Improve Satisfaction and Reduce Physician Burnout

Physician burnout is an ongoing issue plaguing the healthcare industry, with about 50% of physicians feeling overworked and overwhelmed. Long hours, administrative burdens, and lack of control over work schedules are all contributing factors. Physician burnout has prompted many to leave the profession, creating a troubling shortage among care teams. One of the main challenges driving burnout is antiquated scheduling procedures.  

Traditionally, physician call scheduling has been manual, usually managed inefficiently through spreadsheets and email. It constitutes a significant drawback, consuming hours of administrative time that could be better spent on other critical tasks.  

Static on-call schedules also lack the flexibility to accommodate physician preferences or adapt to unexpected situations, leading to frustration and dissatisfaction among staff. The perceived unfairness of manual scheduling can further exacerbate physician stress and dissatisfaction. Additionally, the need for more transparency in the process often leaves physicians feeling out of the loop, fostering mistrust and a sense of disconnection from the decision-making process.

To eliminate physician scheduling issues and increase provider satisfaction, many hospital departments, physician groups, and clinics are turning to modern scheduling solutions. Automated physician scheduling tools are making significant strides in reducing burnout and enhancing care team well-being. Here’s how:

Solve Burnout with Modern Physician Scheduling Software 

Modern physician scheduling software streamlines the scheduling process, automates repetitive tasks, and empowers administrators and physicians. Here are six ways this technology can be used to combat physician burnout: 

1. Ensure fairness with custom rules: Define rules that consider individual preferences and workload limits. This ensures equitable distribution of call shifts and prevents over-scheduling while promoting a healthier, more productive work environment. 
    
2. Save time with pre-built templates: Create reusable scheduling templates to speed schedule creation at every cycle, significantly reducing time spent on this task. 

3. Empower physicians with time-off flexibility: Allow physicians to request time off, vacations, and shift swaps directly through the mobile app, promoting work-life balance. 
    
4. Monitor fairness through custom reports: Generate reports that help identify gaps in schedules and ensure fair scheduling.   

5. Mobile access for increased convenience: Provide physicians with 24/7 access to their schedules through mobile apps, centralizing scheduling and keeping schedules up to date to reduce stress.  
    
6. Boost efficiency with integrations: Seamlessly integrate scheduling software with EHR and clinical communication and collaboration platforms, eliminating redundant data entry and solving inefficiencies. 

How Alomere Health Solved Scheduling Inefficiencies with TigerConnect 

Alomere Health, a leading healthcare provider in Minnesota, faced challenges with its manual scheduling system after integrating with Douglas County Hospital. Suddenly, they were left managing schedules for 240 providers and staff. A paper-based system filled with disparate spreadsheets and communication gaps led to scheduling delays, inefficiencies, and physician dissatisfaction, exacerbating the impact of clinician burnout on patient care. 

By implementing TigerConnect Physician Scheduling, Alomere Health was able to improve their process and increase physician satisfaction by creating balance for physicians through integrated scheduling with rule-based scheduling. It also enhanced patient care coordination through better scheduling visibility. As a result, they significantly reduced the time spent on scheduling and improved the accuracy of all scheduling protocols.

TigerConnect Physician Scheduling allows staff to automate and centralize scheduling to streamline patient care and reduce physician burnout.  Teams can create physician schedules up to 70% faster, equating to 286 hours they get back each year. Eliminating complex scheduling issues with modern software empowers schedules, fosters collaboration, and creates a more equitable work environment for physicians. By prioritizing staff well-being through efficient scheduling, healthcare organizations can significantly reduce physician burnout and improve patient care delivery.