Managing healthcare staff is a complex task. It is not limited to providing them with a weekly timetable. There are several things to take care of, such as patient demand, employee availability, skill requirements, overtime, open shifts, and more. To solve such problems, many advanced digital solutions are present in the market, and Smart Square HMH is one of them. This term refers to Hackensack Meridian Health’s use of Smart Square. In this article, we will discuss it in detail, so keep reading.
What Is Smart Square HMH?
Smart Square is primarily known as healthcare workforce management software developed for organizations that require advanced employee-management solutions. Hackensack Meridian Health adopted the platform to resolve issues related to workforce management across its healthcare operations.
Why Healthcare Workforce Management Is Difficult
Healthcare staffing is different from handling employees in a non-medical organization. It involves several unique challenges, such as patient volumes changing at any time, healthcare departments needing skilled staff, one employee generally not being able to work in other departments, and more.
To resolve these issues, hospitals usually follow these techniques:
Predictive Scheduling
Predictive scheduling can be done using digital tools that can forecast patient volume and staffing requirements up to 120 days in advance. It is a unique Smart Square feature. This feature helps hospitals follow a proactive approach, instead of a reactive one, which allows them to arrange staff in advance before potential shortages happen.
Open Shift Management
Open shifts are about helping organizations fill staffing gaps. This tool helps you communicate and manage available shifts to fill a significant portion initially, reducing last-minute staffing decisions. It is also beneficial for employees; they can see the available shifts and ask their managers to allow them as per their requirements.
Enterprise Workforce Visibility
If every department of the organization starts working in isolation, then managing the staffing requirements would become extremely difficult. Smart Square provides a centralized workforce view that allows leaders to check staffing availability across departments and make arrangements accordingly.
HMH’s Measurable Results
Hackensack Meridian Health is an example of successful Smart Square implementation. As per symplr’s published case study, HMH was struggling with FTE leakage, i.e., hours employees were not working despite being allotted full-time-equivalent requirements. After implementing Smart Square solutions, the organization reported a 6.5% reduction in FTE leakage and monetary savings of $616,000 as compared to the previous year.
How Smart Square Can Benefit Healthcare Organizations
The primary advantages of Smart Square are as follows:
- Better visibility into staffing requirements
- More proactive workforce planning
- Easier management of open shifts
- Greater employee control through self-scheduling
- Reduced dependence on last-minute staffing decisions
- Better monitoring of labor utilization
- More informed workforce decisions
These benefits are not automatic; they depend on how an organization implements the system and makes arrangements accordingly.
The Future of Healthcare Workforce Management
The future of healthcare workforce management is data-oriented, which includes using digital devices to predict future demand accurately and make arrangements accordingly. Today’s modern tools are filled with features like forecasting, automation, analytics, self-scheduling, integrations with healthcare systems, and more. These features help hospitals manage their staffing needs and optimal utilization of resources.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Smart Square HMH?
Smart Square HMH primarily refers to the implementation of Smart Square in Hackensack Meridian Health for managing the healthcare workforce and staff requirements.
Is Smart Square Owned or Developed by Hackensack Meridian Health?
No, as per available details, Smart Square is neither owned nor developed by Hackensack Meridian Health. HMH is a user of this technology.
How Did Smart Square Benefit Hackensack Meridian Health?
As per symplr’s HMH case study, they saved around $616,000 in a year as compared to the previous year due to a 6.5% reduction in FTE.
Conclusion
Smart Square HMH is an example of how you can use modern digital solutions to solve your problems and also save costs due to optimal utilization of resources. In this article, we shared publicly available details with you and requested you to kindly verify all claims and terms and conditions before adopting it. In the end, we hope that you like reading this post and will share it with others as well.