In order to best allocate nursing home staff and resources for their residents, nursing homes rely on nursing home scheduling software, a type of nursing home software that helps facilities manage their staff schedules and schedule resources. The benefits of using nursing home scheduling software are numerous and include:
- Spending less money on paper, as all scheduling details are electronically recorded
- Coordinating care better, e.g., during shift changes
- Generating reports and overviews of resource schedules and availability
- Managing staff overtime
- Reducing errors that would otherwise be made during shift scheduling creation
- Enhancing staff engagement and feedback in nursing home schedule creation
One of the key measures of performance that SNF administrators and other healthcare leaders must keep track of is the Hours Per Patient Day (HPPD), which measures the amount of care each patient receives per day from nursing home staff. This metric is important because it’s a good indicator of the quality of care that patients are receiving; the higher the HPPD, the better quality of care patients are likely to receive.
A high HPPD score is generally an indication that a nursing home is providing better quality care than facilities with lower HPPD scores. This is where the benefits of nursing home scheduling software come in. SNFs that employ the use of this long term care software stand to have higher HPPD scores due to the ease of staff scheduling.
Additionally, if a nursing home has a high HPPD score, it is likely that it will pass its surveys and have a higher quality rating on the Medicare Nursing Home Compare website, which can positively affect the nursing home’s census.
Nursing Home Scheduling and the Role of a Nursing Home Scheduler
Nursing home scheduling is typically managed by a specified scheduler who employs nursing home scheduling software. When creating a schedule, there are several important factors that nursing home schedulers must take into account:
- Worker minimums as per nursing home regulatory requirements
- Staff input, so as to maximize compliance and overall job satisfaction
- Timeliness and availability of the schedule, making it easier for nurses to review schedule proposals and make amendments.
For those interested in becoming a nursing home scheduler, it is important to first look into the details of the job. ZipRecruiter notes that each facility has its own requirements. For instance, some may only require a high-school diploma, while other facilities may require their scheduler to have previous work experience as a CNA. But the one thing most long term care facilities will require is computer literacy as well as some experience with long term care software.
The main role of a nursing home scheduler is to ensure each nursing home shift has the required number of nurses working, which includes nurses who are on-call. Other duties include reviewing and approving staffing agency contracts, checking nurse time punch records, and reviewing staff requests for leave.
As for the salary, a nursing home scheduler can expect an average salary of $59,486. Of course, the salary expectations will differ depending on location. As of 2022, a nursing home scheduler can expect a salary of $41,608 in Texas, $45,121 in California, and $40,073 in Florida.
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The 5 Best Long Term Care Scheduling Software Systems
We have mentioned a nursing home scheduler and how they employ the use of a long term care scheduling software for their daily tasks. But how should a nursing home administrator choose a nursing home scheduling software? Below, we list the five best scheduling software vendors for nursing homes and some of their best features.
1. Experience Care
Experience Care’s Resident and Resource Scheduling provides a quick and efficient way to schedule residents’ appointments and activities, including related resources such as equipment and room allocation. Schedules are clearly displayed in calendars and reports for individual residents, facility staff members, and resources. It organizes schedules, avoids conflicts, and gives the appropriate staff tools to prepare for appointments.
The main benefit of Experience Care is that you get a complete nursing home software that comes with clinical modules (physician orders, e-prescribing), financial modules (general ledger, accounts receivable & billing), and operations modules (CareMetrics, customer relationship management)
Its key features include:
- Customizable nursing home scheduling dashboards
- Consolidated appointments that replace disconnected appointment books in various locations throughout your organization with one system
- Custom calendar views for each resident, staff, and resources
- Flexible scheduling that allows facilities to schedule one appointment for an individual resident requiring multiple resources, in addition to multiple residents requiring one or more resources.
- SchedulePop integration at a discounted price for all NetSolutions users
- Scheduling reports in a list that is available for viewing, printing, and sharing in PDF format
2. UKG Ready
UKG Ready is a human capital management suite of tools on a single unified cloud platform that manages the entire employee lifecycle from pre-hire to retirement. UKG Ready provides the features for HR, talent, payroll, and time functionality — so facilities can meet compliance needs and increase business efficiencies.
Its key features include:
- Applicant tracking
- Approval process controls
- Activity dashboard
3. 10to8
10to8 is scheduling software that allows nurses and managers to plan and review shifts when patients may need their services again. Nurses can use it from any device so they can access it anytime.
Its key features include:
- Automated Scheduling
- Calendar Management
- Calendar Sync
4. Deputy
Deputy is a workforce management tool that completes a nursing shift schedule and can quickly publish it to a team. Deputy allows administrators to schedule the right staff, at the right times, across different roles or locations, while filling shifts based on employee availability, training, and cost.
Its key features include:
- Approval Process Control
- Faculty/Staff Management
- Automatic Time Capture
5. Noterro
Noterro is an online clinic management tool for massage therapists, physiotherapists, chiropractors, and other health care providers
The features of this practice management software include:
- Appointment Management
- Assessment Management
- Billing & Invoicing
Why Nursing Home Scheduling Software Is So Important
Nursing home administrators have a lot on their plate. From managing staff to residents to finances — it can be difficult to keep track of everything — that’s where nursing home scheduling software comes in. Nursing home scheduling software helps nursing homes to manage their day-to-day tasks and track their employees, residents, and resources.
There are several different nursing home scheduling software options in the market, each with its own set of unique features. Some of the most popular nursing home scheduling software options include Experience Care, UKG Ready, 10to8, Deputy, and Noterro.
So which nursing home scheduling software is right for you? It depends on your specific needs. If you’re looking for a complete nursing home software solution with clinical, financial, and operational modules, then Experience Care is probably your best option.
Given the looming staff shortage in long-term care facilities, SchedulePop is partnering with Experience Care to help SNFs create accessible shifts for their nurses. SchedulePop’s staff scheduling software now integrates with Experience Care’s NetSolutions EHR, making it easier for nurses to request shifts, request time off, and for shift managers to maximize on the nurses that are available, without overworking them.
This scheduling software for nursing homes comes with features such as:
- Cost management
- Staff management
- Instant messaging
- Shift scheduling
- Shift swapping
- Staff credentials verification
- Scheduled alerts
- Earned wages early access
All of these features can easily be accessed from the NetSolutions user interface, or the downloadable SchedulePop mobile app. Interested? Click here for more information on how you can get started.
For more on recent trends in long term care, read our blog and subscribe to the LTC Heroes podcast.
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