 |
Drawing on Internal Resources to Fill Open Positions| Cost savings are achievable when hospital department managers consider alternatives to filling open positions. | | When HMC BenchmarksTM targets are developed using budgeted data, open positions are included in your calculated cost per and hours per positions, producing an opportunity for the facility to exploit in achieving cost savings. Exploring alternative options to filling open positions is an excellent source of cost savings. However, this approach to generating cost savings ideas around benchmarking data is not always so readily apparent to managers. Since it can feel easier for managers to take a “no hire” vs. a “fire” approach to action plan development, it is useful to analyze your open position postings in conjunction with your HMC benchmarking data. How do your productivity standards compare to those of your peers’? Is your skillmix in line with others’? Could you pump more volume through your existing resources? These are the types of questions that your managers should be asking of the organization when presented with variation in their cost position.
One of HMC’s partner hospital systems had budgeted almost $5M in open positions and was looking for ways to reduce it’s $36M in cited cost excess. Struggling with Action Plan development, HMC suggested that the system maximize it’s economies of scale by using HMC’s Functional Cost ReviewTM to identify those functions that were showing excess in labor costs and to then think about ways of using those additional resources in areas that were understaffed. First looking internally to fill open positions can be an excellent way to maximize the benefits of being in a system when working to fill staffing vacancies without incurring exuberant additional costs.
Think about how you could create a method of evaluating your hospital's position-control report in conjunction with HMC BenchmarksTM. Then, move forward with developing an action plan that would provide some link to a process of approval to help better manage your costs and achieve real savings for the hospital.
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
LEARN MORE ABOUT
THE RESOURCES IN THIS CASE STUDY
|
|
|
|
|
EMAIL THIS PAGE
|
|
|
|
|
