Hospital Controls Labor Costs, Improves Patient Care with Kronos^® Workforce Intelligence Solution

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The fast pace of Presbyterian Hospital demands a great deal of energy and organization. From the emergency room to the orthopedics lab, this facility in Oklahoma doesn’t stop for a minute. And yet, each day, this 310-bed hospital delivers exceptional healthcare and services to every patient who walks through the door. The motivation and commitment of the staff of Presbyterian Hospital — supported by Kronos for Healthcare’s workforce intelligence solution — help ensure consistently positive patient experiences for the people of Oklahoma City.

Since the implementation of Kronos’ innovative labor management approach, this affiliate of Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation has made significant headway in its labor management efforts. The hospital’s Kronos solution helps track 1,100 employees throughout the hospital. It delivers insight into the inner workings of the organization. And it has become a critical part of Presbyterian Hospital’s daily labor management effort.

Accurate labor data delivers better visibility, control

Kronos for Healthcare’s workforce intelligence solution has enabled Presbyterian Hospital to accomplish numerous goals by helping to ensure the reliability of its labor management procedures. In essence, the software transforms volumes of data into real information that the hospital can use to make timely improvements.

With Kronos, Presbyterian Hospital can proactively create the perfect blend of staff — FTEs and contracted labor — in order to meet targeted labor budgets. The hospital can also monitor trends in billing and make use of historical data. This information assists the facility in its budget development process as well.

What’s more, Presbyterian Hospital can verify data from other HR systems for accuracy, as well as compare daily to biweekly labor expenses and billing data entry to be sure that departments are following hospital policy.

“As we become more familiar with Kronos’ software capabilities, we continue to take advantage of its functionality throughout our organization,” says Richard Lewis, chief financial officer of Presbyterian Hospital.

Achieving a large reduction in timekeeping errors

Prior to the installation of its Kronos for Healthcare solution, Presbyterian Hospital’s frontline labor procedures were not always well-defined — or well-regimented. This led to last-minute reporting and plenty of room for error. Lewis recalls, “Five to fifteen percent of our timekeeping was subject to error on a regular basis.”

Today, Kronos’ workforce intelligence solution has lowered that margin to two percent. Department directors have daily access to high-quality labor data — without disturbing the routine of their employees or imposing additional administrative duties. And senior management rely on the real data to manage their teams. Overall, confidence in Presbyterian Hospital’s labor management has skyrocketed.

Understanding the business impact of the workforce

Presbyterian Hospital now has a much clearer view of its labor patterns — department by department, day by day, and shift by shift. Directors and managers can easily make use of this timely and detailed information, and benefit from more backup and less guesswork. The payroll department also enjoys fewer last-minute adjustments. Overall, workforce productivity has improved with the help of Kronos.

“Integrated with our billing system, Kronos’ productivity tracking also allows us to follow hours by unit of service,” Lewis adds. “This is the kind of advantage that really makes a difference.”

Aligning labor with patient volume

“With our Kronos for Healthcare workforce intelligence solution — and the comprehensive data that it provides — the department directors of Presbyterian Hospital are able to employ people based on actual needs and at levels that are better aligned with patient volume,” says Lewis.

He concludes, “Kronos technology has enabled us to stay within our budget, keep on top of our labor management goals, and, most importantly, better serve our patients.”