staffing across multiple facilities

aliciasmail@twc.com

We have 4 adult hospitals and the 15 CDS cross cover between them. We are trying to develop some guidelines of how to do daily staffing, vacation requests, and holiday requests. I would like to know if there are other facilities who use this same model and how you work it out. Do you go by seniority, first come first serve, rotation - if you had it last year you don't get it this year, etc???

Alicia Mitchell RN, MSN, CCDS
Clinical Documentation Specialist
Norton Healthcare
502-629-6158 office
502-259-8548 cell



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don.cdi.rn@gmail.com

When I was in a CDI manager role with 11 staff, I asked folks to pick their priority for one of 3 periods over the winter holidays (T-day, immediately before and after Christmas). Generally able to meet the priority choice (helps that volume traditionally much lower over holiday). Where there was a conflict, looked back at the previous year.

General vacation times, we had three sub teams where folks were grouped and expected to cross cover. Vacation requests were generally handled within each team. Resisted having more than 2 staff out for prolonged periods (a day or two of overlap worked out). Also allowed flexibility so that if there was something unforeseen where a third member had to be out for more than a day or two we could handle it.

Manager made final decision.

All requests were posted on a shared electronic calender as tentative and then if needed to adjust or deny a request, usually about 4 to 6 weeks in advance. If someone was making firm travel plans (cruise), took that into account.

Daily staffing -- we have been almost exclusively electronic for years (>95%). Most floors had a service line focus, so aligned coverage by floor and historical volumes. Also had 3 sub teams for clustered floors (card/vasc/CT surg; ICU/IU/trauma/surg; Hosp/FM/IM/Renal). Folks cross covered first within their subteam, each individual largely had their own service line that they covered within their subteam floors. A couple service line volumes were large enough to have 2 staff, whom worked out how they'd divide new patients.

Don

Donald A. Butler, RN, BSN
Manager, Clinical Documentation Advisor Program
Vidant Health, Greenville NC
DButler@vidanthealth.com ( mailto:mDButler@vidanthealth.com )