Assessment-fueled knowledge development programs can reveal how well staff understand aspects of their jobs and can shape effective training and recruiting processes, says Mary J. Clarke, CEO of performance assessment firm Cognisco. As healthcare providers look to make effective hires and ensure good investment in their staffs, the adoption of human capital management tools is likely to increase. “One way in which HCM tools can fail to produce a beneficial return for an organization is if they aren’t properly utilized in the training process,” Clarke said. “It’s key for healthcare executives to examine assessment results and use the feedback they provide to develop more effective training programs for their staff. If executives aren’t using their HCM tools to improve future training programs, they are squandering a valuable resource.”
THREE TRENDS TO WATCH
According to Mary J. Clarke, CEO of Cognisco, the following trends are shaping the human capital management market for 2009:
1. HIRING FREEZE: In this economy, most companies are cutting back on hiring and switching their focus to getting the most out of their current workforce. This makes it essential for executives to monitor employee competence and confidence through available tools.
2. ASSESSMENT PROGRAMS: Due to the increased need for information about staff performance, there’s likely to be a rise in assessment-based knowledge programs.
3. HCM TOOLS: For healthcare organizations still hiring, there should be an increase in human capital management tools in the recruiting and training processes. The benefit comes in assuring the new employee is a good investment.
VENDOR SHOWCASE
API SOFTWARE, INC.
API Laborworkx Suite
The API LaborWorkx Suite of applications optimizes all aspects of human capital management, including staffing and scheduling, time and attendance, payroll and HR, patient classification and many other functions. These integrated, healthcare-focused solutions help healthcare organizations increase productivity, improve labor resource utilization and better control labor costs.
Contact: sales@apisoftwareinc.com
INFOR
HCM Workforce Management
Infor HCM Workforce Management provides healthcare organizations proven time & attendance, workforce scheduling, workforce planning, absence management, and detailed reporting. The web-based solution ensures personnel resources are utilized effectively and empowers employees to manage their own schedule while the system maintains compliance with internal policies. Healthcare organizations now have real-time visibility into the impact staffing-related decisions have on patient care and profitability.
Contact: Bob Clements, Senior Director,
Product Marketing, Bob.clements@infor.com
MCKESSON
Ansos One-Staff
Ranked #1 in the KLAS Nurse/Staff Scheduling market segment for three
consecutive years, ANSOS One-Staff is healthcare’s top performing staffing and productivity solution. ANSOS One-Staff automates staffing and scheduling and provides information to encourage fiscally smart clinical decisions that reduce overtime expense and reliance on agency staff. ANSOS One-Staff can also be used to balance workload with patient care needs and make open shifts available on the web.
Contact: Carrie Bauman, director of product marketing, McKesson Workforce Management Solutions, (919) 564-2209, carrie.bauman@mckesson.com
RADARFIND
RadarFind RTLS
RadarFind offers the only hospital Real Time Location System designed by healthcare professionals. Peerless technology allows hospitals to easily track and analyze the location, status and movement of equipment and people. Non-disruptive installation and powerful reporting tools enable hospitals to realize immediate financial ROI, increased staff productivity and improved patient satisfaction.
Contact: 877.723.2734, sales@radarfind.com
USER REVIEWS
“Human capital management is a complex task that requires precision and accuracy. By automating our timekeeping and scheduling processes with API, we have dramatically improved efficiency at all levels of the organization while minimizing the potential for error. In addition, we now have access to comprehensive reporting tools that deliver up to the minute snapshots of resource allocation, enabling us to better manage overtime and reduce costs.”
Chrissy Yamada, senior vice president, finance, Evergreen Healthcare
“Since implementing RadarFind, our nurses spend more time on delivering quality patient care rather than searching for equipment, and the reduction in the daily stress of scrambling to find equipment has improved staff morale and retention. Happy staff stays with you, which is critical in the current environment with shortages of nurses and other health professionals. We’ve heard loud and clear from our staff that they are much more satisfied working at Wayne Memorial since we introduced the tracking system. Without the stress of spending valuable time looking for a piece of equipment, staff feel they are more productive taking care of their patients.”
Tom Bradshaw, vice president of operations, Wayne Memorial Hospital