Through a New Staffing Strategy and ClairVia™ Staffing System, Beaufort Memorial Hospital Improves Nurse Utilization, Reduces Open Shifts and Boosts Employee Satisfaction

Business Wire, Feb 27, 2007

NEW ORLEANS -- Through a new staffing strategy and the advanced automation of its ClairVia[TM] staffing software, Beaufort Memorial Hospital has gained more effective, centralized control over its nursing resources, reduced open shifts and improved employee satisfaction.

Beaufort Memorial, a non-profit, 197-bed community hospital with approximately 1,200 staff members, had long relied on paper-based staff scheduling that was handled on a floor-by-floor basis. Each department director was responsible for his or her department's schedule and staffing needs list.

"Many of our internal float nurses, what we refer to as "HOP" nurses, would go to each floor to examine each needs list and sign up only for those assignments and floors they preferred to work," explains Scott Huska, clinical staffing coordinator at Beaufort Memorial. "The nursing supervisor was always in the position of scrambling to fill open assignments on a shift-by-shift basis, with few options other than agency and overtime."

A key change occurred when the hospital required all full-time nurses to commit to regular, four-week schedules coordinated centrally by Huska. A tiered reward system, which gave the most pay to HOP nurses who most adhered to their schedules, was put into effect.

"It was clear that we needed more scheduling consistency and stability in our nursing units, which would not only save money but improve quality of care," says Huska. "And we needed the right software system, ClairVia, to support this strategy."

Once ClairVia was implemented in all six of Beaufort Memorial's nursing departments, covering approximately 400 hospital nurses, the organization had the ability to manage its nurses centrally, and pinpoint its staffing needs in advance, and from a single perspective.

"By scheduling employees in ClairVia weeks ahead of time, I can proactively select the most appropriate, highest quality and cost-efficient employees to work," says Huska. "And since nurses are rewarded to fulfill their regular schedule commitments, the hospital has fewer open shifts and has dramatically reduced reliance on agency resources and overtime.

"Today, in fact, we have virtually no agency costs, and we've significantly reduced our bonus pay," he reports. "We only pay a bonus for a shift if it is within 24 hours of the actual need, and only then if the need was critical."

Improved employee communication and interaction

While the new scheduling strategy was not welcomed initially by some nurses at Beaufort, Huska says the hospital's nurses have quickly embraced the ClairVia system, particularly its Web-based self-service functionality.

Through ClairVia's customizable, personalized Web portals, Beaufort Memorial nurses can view their and colleagues' schedules, participate in online shift requests and sign-ups, and receive and submit important updates and messages.

"Our nurses really take advantage of ClairVia's self-service Web access," Huska emphasizes, "because they love being proactive in establishing their schedules. They want to access their schedules from their homes and see how schedules are coming together. If they notice that they may be working short on a shift, they will actively recruit other nurses to work that shift. They're very involved in the scheduling process, and ClairVia helps them stay involved."

This high level of flexibility, convenience and communication has helped boost employee satisfaction, Huska says. In results from the hospital's latest employee survey, HOP nurse satisfaction rose to 3.94 out of a perfect score of 4.

"There's a strong link between the nurses' use of ClairVia and their workplace satisfaction," Huska asserts. "It's evident to me in my day-to-day interaction with the nursing staff. They are very engaged in the process. That has increased our level of communication, and has made the entire scheduling process more flexible and satisfying."

About Beaufort Memorial Hospital

Beaufort Memorial Hospital is a non-profit community hospital located in Beaufort, S.C. Affiliated with Duke University Health System in heart and cancer care, Beaufort Memorial has become one of the leading health care providers in the region. The 197-bed hospital is served by approximately 1,200 employees and more than 150 board-certified specialists.

Opened as a community hospital in 1944, Beaufort Memorial is fully accredited by the Joint Commission of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).

In addition, the hospital was recently recognized as being one of the best healthcare providers for clinical outcomes. It received five-star ratings within Orthopedics, Pulmonary Services and Gastrointestinal Services, according to a comprehensive study released by HealthGrades, the nation's leading healthcare ratings company. As part of its ninth annual Hospital Quality in America Study, HealthGrades independently analyzed more than 5,000 hospitals in all 50 states and the District of Columbia for its 2007 ratings, assessing their clinical outcomes and quality.

For more information, go to www.bmhsc.org.