RESQ Healthcare Systems to Demo Dynamic Staffing Control Module at HIMSS

RES-Q Healthcare Systems announced that it will demonstrate the optional Dynamic Staffing Control (DSC) Module for RES-Q Labor Resource Management, its staffing and scheduling software for hospitals, at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Annual Conference & Exhibition, February 24-28, 2008, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Fla. RES-Q will be at booth #3317.

"Dynamic Staffing Control (DSC) is designed to enable hospitals to assess and adjust staffing in real time," said Michael Meisel, president, RES-Q Healthcare Systems.

Today, hospitals schedule their shifts, and appropriate staffing is set. Then, predictably, the unexpected happens. A unit gets unforeseen admissions or transfers, patient acuity levels rise, and just like that they are short-staffed. These events force staffing ratios out of compliance with internal policies, Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) standards and with government-mandated staffing ratios in states such as California. Nurses on the unit scramble and make do the best they can and hope that additional staff can be called in by the time the next shift starts. "Dynamic Staffing Control helps solve the problem," said Meisel.

DSC features an HL/7 interface to hospitals' admission, discharge and transfer (ADT) systems. With the interface, the software processes patient admissions, discharges and transfers in real time, and the RES-Q Labor Resource Management staffing and scheduling system continually evaluates the number of patients on each unit. Taking into account patient acuity and other staffing effectiveness indicators, the software determines up-to-the-minute patient workloads for each unit. The system then runs the revised unit workloads through staffing simulation routines and calculates updated recommended staffing requirements and levels.

The new recommended levels are compared against current staffing levels. Staffing variances that fall outside of preset thresholds are automatically communicated to designated unit managers and staffing office administrators via internal RES-Q messaging or by e-mail, text message, pager or voice-mail using text-to-speech technology. With DSC, RES-Q Labor Resource Management gets critical information for action to hospital managers in real time.

Hospitals would benefit from software that employs an algorithm to project future staffing needs. That is why DSC also forecasts necessary staffing levels for the upcoming 24-hour period based on the current patient population and historical admission and discharge patterns. Staffing variances for future shifts are communicated to the responsible managers, and RES-Q Labor Resource Management thus gives them the information and tools to plan and adjust required staffing in advance.

About RES-Q Healthcare Systems:

Since 1979, RES-Q Healthcare Systems (Calabasas, Calif.) has pursued one mission: advancing resource management and scheduling software for hospitals. RES-Q Labor Resource Management produces clinically sound, skill-matched, financially optimized, and productive staffing in schedules that account for staff preferences. RES-Q Perioperative Resource Management reviews and verifies surgeon needs and preferences, personnel and equipment requirements, supply lists and inventory, and operating room availability and then establishes surgery schedules that minimize conflicts and maximize productivity. RES-Q's management team, with an average of 15 years with the company and decades of front-line experience in hospital administration, helps hospitals set their schedules for today and set course for success tomorrow. For more information, call (800) 572-1911 or visit www.res-q.com.

Note to Editors:

The RES-Q Press Kit is online at http://www.res-q.com/index_news.htm. RES-Q will be at booth #3317 at HIMSS. To schedule an editorial appointment, contact David Aquilina for assistance.

RESQ Healthcare Systems to Demo Dynamic Staffing Control Module at HIMSS

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RESQ Healthcare Systems to Demo Dynamic Staffing Control Module at HIMSS

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