How To Enhance Healthcare Operations in a Hybrid Workplace With Skedda

Hybrid work is a significant competitive advantage for healthcare organizations. According to a survey conducted by Software Advice of 150 healthcare providers using hybrid or fully remote work models, 56% saw increased productivity, 39% saw increased revenue, and 61% saw an increased number of patients. 

The survey also found hybrid work improved the employee experience. 89% of practices that offer flexible work hours said employees feel positively about working remotely some or all of the time, and 86% said employee morale improved. 

Flexible work correlates with a better workplace experience that helps drive revenue. All of the companies in the healthcare industry on the Fortune 100 Best Companies 2023 list offer some form of hybrid work.

It’s less a matter of ‘if’—and more of ‘when’—more healthcare facilities will follow suit. Still, the logistics of arranging a hybrid work environment in a low-risk, highly-regulated industry can be tricky.

How Skedda Helps Healthcare Organizations Solve Their Hybrid Work Challenges 

Healthcare is a broad term, encompassing organizations with varying size, focus (e.g., hospital, clinic, research institution), and location. The industry also faces strict regulations required to ensure patient safety, privacy, and quality of care. Therefore, successfully implementing hybrid work in healthcare requires clear and open internal communication to meet regulatory compliance.

With a range of roles and responsibilities, healthcare organizations must consider how all workers can have the workspace and equipment they need to conduct their work safely, confidentially, and effectively. Utilizing desk booking software to optimize desk management and coordinate medical equipment use can enhance operations and improve efficiency.

Skedda is a hybrid work and desk booking platform that supports healthcare organizations in coordinating space and equipment usage more efficiently. Here’s how Skedda helps healthcare organizations improve work efficiency and collaboration in a hybrid workplace.

Ensure Data Privacy and Security

Healthcare organizations deal with sensitive patient information that requires strict privacy and security measures. With remote work, there’s an increased risk of data breaches, especially if employees use personal devices or unsecured networks to access patient records and other confidential information.

Skedda protects data and privacy with top-notch security. Skedda’s advanced security features ensure regulatory compliance, transparency of database activity, and awareness of when suspected security violations occur. 

Although patients’ Protected Health Information (PHI) should still be kept in your Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems to be HIPAA compliant, Skedda encrypts all data in storage and has processes in place to regularly test the security of its service stack so you can rest assured that information used for desk booking is protected.

Optimize Workspace Usage

Healthcare facilities have limited workspaces to perform specific tasks (e.g. patient visits). Skedda’s robust automated rules allow organizations to know and decide how and when people book their dedicated spaces so that the required workspace is available when needed.

• Booking conditions: Establish specific restrictions and limits for each booking, including setting restrictions on who can book specific workstations, the booking time frame, and any additional requirements. For instance, organizations can decide that the “Admin” tag can only book spaces not reserved for appointments.
• Quotas: Limit the overall usage of spaces (by individuals or groups) within a given time to ensure various teams or roles can book these spaces. For instance, clinicians can book specific rooms during core hours to see patients.
• Buffer time: Create time gaps between consecutive bookings, which can be helpful if appointments run longer than expected. Staff can also use this time to organize their workspaces and prevent private and confidential information from accidentally being left behind. 
• Advanced booking window: Decide how far in advance users can make bookings, ensuring equitable access and optimal planning. Different workspaces may have varying booking windows based on specific requirements or level of importance.

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Reduce Communication Gaps

Effective teamwork and collaboration are essential in healthcare. Hybrid work models can lead to communication gaps, and challenges in coordinating care and medical equipment among team members.

Skedda’s platform reduces communication gaps by seamlessly displaying available desks, rooms, and medical equipment.

Skedda enables organizations to configure and assign specific resources and amenities to each workspace. Whether it’s ultrasounds, EKG/ECG machines, or X-ray machines, healthcare facilities can ensure that necessary resources are available within designated areas.

"Skedda is an efficient booking system that all our members find easy to use." - Elysia Therapeutic Centre (UK)

In addition, Skedda’s mobile booking app lets healthcare professionals reserve workspaces and equipment on the go. This flexibility improves productivity and streamlines workflows.

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Guarantee Adequate Coverage

Healthcare facilities must be prepared for emergencies and unexpected situations. That means certain positions must always be staffed and ready to respond quickly to critical on-site needs. 

Skedda can make sure the right people are in the right place at the right time.

Skedda’s custom interactive floor maps let your staff see all available desks and workspaces. The centralized platform ensures that healthcare professionals can see where their colleagues and teams are sitting and if there’s adequate coverage and/or workspaces available on any given day.

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Coordinate shifts using tag-based segmentation

Skedda allows organizations to assign user tags to individuals based on specific criteria such as functions, departments, projects, or activity-based needs. In healthcare settings that operate in shifts, leveraging different user tags can help manage and schedule staff rotations. It allows staff with specific tags to reserve desks or workstations for particular shifts or time slots, preventing overbooking, and ensuring adequate coverage and smooth transitions between shifts.

“With Skedda, employees have control of their bookings themselves, and we can now control the workload on our facilities.” - Quin

Improve your space utilization with insights

Skedda provides analytics and reporting features that offer insights into space utilization, popular time slots, and resource allocation. This makes it easier for healthcare facilities to know what they can do to optimize operations. Healthcare facilities can leverage these analytics to optimize workflows, identify trends, and make informed resource planning and staffing decisions.

Support Change and Adoption

When implementing a new tech stack, healthcare facilities may face additional challenges, from supporting legacy systems to ensuring the proper tech infrastructure exists. With employees’ varying roles and responsibilities, adoption rates may also suffer due to more traditional work structures. For instance, employees in admin roles may be more familiar with having to share desks, while hot desking adoption could be slower among clinicians used to having their own offices.

While managing the change is necessary, having a solution that’s easy to use and quick to implement will help drive adoption. You can try Skedda’s features with a subgroup and quickly iterate before rolling out a complete solution to your organization. Whether freeing up a room for an appointment or coordinating the use of medical equipment, Skedda’s comprehensive features ensure the efficient use of your workspaces and equipment.

Learn More: Rolling Out a Desk Booking System? 3 Steps to Guarantee Adoption

Skedda Drives Operational Efficiency in a Hybrid Workplace

83% of practices that adopted a hybrid or remote working model during the pandemic aim to continue that, according to Software Advice. Hybrid work allows for greater flexibility in scheduling, which can reduce employee burnout and improve morale, ultimately leading to increased productivity and revenue. 

Skedda’s desk booking system enhances operational efficiency, improves resource management, and supports flexible work arrangements in the healthcare industry. It enables better coordination and contributes to a safer, more streamlined healthcare environment.

If you’re ready to start scheduling and booking desks and rooms, create your free Skedda account today.