May 7, 2024
hc1 Workforce Optimization™ is a first-of-its-kind solution that leverages the power of artificial intelligence to help lab leaders make better, faster, more confident staff scheduling decisions. However, with such a novel product comes lots of questions: What is it? How does it work? Is this solution right for our lab?
Good news: we have answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about Workforce Optimization.
Q: Is Workforce Optimization a staffing / recruiting tool?
A: No, Workforce Optimization is a cloud-based software solution that uses artificial intelligence to predict demand for lab services and provide staff scheduling recommendations.
Q: Will I be able to use this as a replacement for my laboratory scheduling system?
A: No. Workforce Optimization is designed to work in tandem with your HRIS, such as Kronos, Workday, ADP, etc. It is not a replacement for these systems. The solution studies both your lab volume and HRIS data, then leverages artificial intelligence to project future volume trends, identify potential staffing shortages or overages and suggest specific, department-level resource adjustments.
Q: Do we need to have a large lab staff for this to be the right solution for us?
A: No. hc1 Workforce Optimization will provide powerful insights, recommendations and business impact regardless if you are a smaller, 50-person lab or a multi-site system with over 1,000 lab employees.
Q: Can we use this product across multiple labs? How does that work?
A: Yes! Many of our customers are multi-site. So regardless of how many performing labs you have, such core labs, satellite labs or hospital-based labs, you will be able to view all of them or filter down to a specific location to understand your staffing optimization.
Q: Which systems do you connect to?
A: We can connect to any LIS or HRIS – we have successfully interfaced with 80 unique systems! We started out as a company that built interfaces and became masters of healthcare data before developing the solutions that use it. If you can provide the data to us, our team takes care of the rest.
Q: Is it a problem if we have multiple LISs or multiple HRISs?
A: No. hc1 can combine multiple LIS data feeds through our hc1 Connect integration engine. Similarly, if you have multiple HRIS platforms, those data feeds can also be combined to get an enterprise-wide view in hc1.
Q: Can my team be notified if we have a specific staffing issue?
A: Yes! You can set up and customize email alerts to go out to specific team members when certain metrics are met or exceeded. This allows lab managers, leaders and executives to perform their day-to-day responsibilities, with the knowledge that they will be notified if there is a problem.
Q: Should I be concerned about leaving my lab staff scheduling decisions to AI?
A: Not at all! Workforce Optimization uses what we like to call “human-assisted” AI. While our machine learning model does make demand predictions and staffing recommendations, there is still a human element required to adjust staff schedules. The solution doesn’t automatically update staff schedules or communicate changes back to the HRIS. This gives you the opportunity to review each recommendation and ensure employees' schedules are adjusted appropriately.
Interested in learning more about Workforce Optimization? Request a demo today to see how it can help you resolve staffing shortages before they happen by ensuring the right people are in the right place at the right time.
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Mackin Bannon is the product marketing manager for hc1. Mackin held various roles covering nearly every marketing area before settling on product marketing as a focus and joining hc1 in 2022. During the workday, he enjoys bringing stories to life in clear and creative ways. In his free time, he enjoys following his favorite sports teams, collecting vinyl records and exploring Indianapolis.
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