Physician Scheduler® Customer Success Stories

Associated Anesthesiologists of Springfield reaches a new level of efficiency and productivity through Physician Scheduler® and its advanced Web technology

Today's busy physicians are looking for new ways to improve efficiency, productivity and collaboration in their practices, and they're finding them through the Physician Scheduler software solution.

"The new Web-based scheduling and communication in Physician Scheduler has been a godsend in saving time and improving convenience within our medical group," says Dr. Christopher A. Fiedler, a staff anesthesiologist who handles the scheduling responsibilities at Associated Anesthesiologists of Springfield, Ill. "I've been very satisfied with the product in general, and the new Web capabilities have made a really good product even better."

Since 1999, Dr. Fiedler has been using Physician Scheduler to automate and track call scheduling and vacation time, and for ensuring equitability of all working assignments and time-off at this 18-member group.

The software's advanced Web-based features, introduced in early 2004, have enabled medical groups such as Dr. Fiedler's to attain an even higher level of scheduling automation and efficiency.

Leveraging online request submission and communications to eliminate paper processing, and boost productivity and convenience

"For one, the product's Web interface has been a great time-saver and productivity improvement for me," says Dr. Fiedler. "It eliminates my handling of lots of paper-written requests that took considerable time to gather and then enter the information manually."

At any Web-accessible location and at any time, Dr. Fiedler is able to use Physician Scheduler to view incoming scheduling requests and notifications from his fellow physicians, process requests, print schedules, and run reports. All saved schedule modifications are updated and displayed in real time.

With Physician Scheduler, each anesthesiologist at the group has his or her own Web-based assignment and messaging center that displays up-to-date schedules, reports and assignment request status as well as any pertinent messages from the scheduler or colleagues. An online request feature submits assignment requests to the scheduler in seconds.

"We used to handle assignment submission by paper and pencil," explains Dr. Fiedler. "One partner would check it for me in a tally book to make sure things looked OK, and then he would give it back to me, and I would take it to my home computer. There, I would enter it, print it out and put it in a three-ring binder.

"Now, because of the online, real-time access to the schedules, I can approve and deny requests from any location, and our staff can get answers and updates almost as soon as they submit their requests. Before, sometimes weeks could pass before they would get confirmation on their assignment and vacation requests. Now, the communication and status is handled pretty much instantly, certainly within 24 hours."

Exploring new ways to utilize and benefit from the software's valuable Web-based functionality

Dr. Fiedler says he continues to discover new ways to use Physician Scheduler's Web features, and encourages his partners to take full advantage of them.

"For instance, generating call schedules is now so much easier and more convenient," he says. "Now, each of my partners can go online and submit their own call requests directly to the scheduling engine. In the past, they would have to write it out on a sheet of paper. I would then put them in a stack, take them home one day and enter them into the program myself.

"I also particularly like the ability to add notes on each request," he continues. "For example, we only allow four people off on any given day, but if there is an exception and we have a fifth person off, I can enter the specific reason in the notes section, and I find that to be very helpful."

Dr. Fiedler says he routinely touts the virtues and capabilities of the software's features to his fellow partners.

"For example, in instances where two partners consider a trade or swap of an assignment, I remind them to communicate that to me via the program. Of course, we all usually interact directly with each other every day, so issues like that are customarily first addressed in person. But having it in the system makes it more official and confirms it.

"I have talked quite a bit to the partners what a great benefit the product is to our practice because it has freed up so much of my time, and is such a powerful communications resource. I think they are really recognizing and appreciating more and more what this software does."

Generating fair call schedules and ensuring equitable time-off

From its implementation, Physician Scheduler has been relied upon at Associated Anesthesiologists to equalize the partners' call workload and time-off.

"Since all partners are given the same responsibilities, duties and advantages, it's essential that everyone be treated fairly in terms of the types of call schedules worked, most notably on nights and weekends," says Dr. Fiedler. "The product does a very good job of ensuring that each member gets a balanced share of each type of call schedule.

"With every schedule, I make available reports that display all the call schedules, so that everyone can clearly view how the schedules are handled and what everyone in the practice is doing.

In tracking vacation time, Dr. Fiedler posts a report every month in his office that outlines all partners' vacation plans and accrued, available vacation time over the fiscal year.

"This is another way to make sure that vacation time is handled fairly and tracked accurately, and all partners are aware of how it's handled," he points out. "And by posting monthly reports, any possible problems or issues can be addressed early, not months down the line."

Benefiting from a responsive and professional customer support organization

Every Physician Scheduler customer is backed by AtStaff's experienced team of client service consultants and customer support representatives.

"I really appreciate the fact that if I do have a question or need, there are a lot of people at AtStaff that are very willing and able to help," says Dr. Fiedler. "The customer support staff is very responsive, professional and forthright. My needs and concerns are always addressed quickly and up front."

About Associated Anesthesiologists of Springfield

Associated Anesthesiologists of Springfield, an 18-physician group, has been serving the comprehensive anesthesiology needs of Springfield, Ill., and the surrounding area for more than 40 years.

The medical group is based out of Memorial Medical Center in Springfield, and also provides anesthesia services at an outpatient center owned by the medical center, and at a free-standing, outpatient orthopaedic center in the area.

About AtStaff

AtStaff develops staff management and physician scheduling software that enables healthcare organizations to improve healthcare quality and patient safety, increase profitability, and enhance staff recruitment and retention.

Enterprise, nursing and physician scheduling software systems from AtStaff serve more than 1,200 healthcare organizations, medical facilities, nursing departments and group practices.

More information on the company's Physician Scheduler® product is available by calling 866-807-8233 toll free and accessing www.physicianscheduler.com.

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