Dynamic Resource Scheduling

How Timewatch’s dynamic resource scheduling software helps Healthcare Solution Providers deliver services to their customers.

Next Gen, Healthcare Solutions Provider

How Timewatch helps NextGen deliver services to Healthcare Providers.

The Customer

NextGen is a provider of software solutions for healthcare providers, including practice management, telehealth & virtual visits, Electronic Health Records, Analytics, etc. as well as the corresponding training, consulting, and services.

The Mission

  • Perform a comprehensive review of cloud-based Resource Scheduling Solutions.

  • Source a solution that provides clear visibility of resource activities and availability.

  • Categorize employees by skillset to ensure schedulers can locate the right resource for a job.

  • Color-code work types to provide instant visibility of resource activities.

  • Sync employee’s schedules with their Outlook calendars.

  • Ensure the system has comprehensive reporting and report writing tools.

  • Implement the solution is a secure, ideally private server environment.

  • Migrate existing historical data.

The Solution

  • Implement Whitespace® Timewatch’s dynamic resource scheduling software

The Results

  • Resource activities now clearly visible

  • Resource availability / capacity now clearly visible

  • Employee schedules now seamlessly synced with their Outlook calendar

  • All implementation requirements were met
  • Existing data was successfully migrated to the new system

  • The transition from the old to the new system was incredibly smooth

  • System supports all devices

The Details

“Next Gen provides a platform that manages everything to do with a visit to the doctor,” explains Karen Bollinger, VP of Business Applications for Nextgen Healthcare. “From scheduling the visit, the integrations for all the machines we use and bringing it back to your health record, communicating with labs, and billing. We look after every piece of your health visit.”

A Big Industry Needs Specialist Scheduling and Resource Attention

The big question is why are problems of healthcare resource allocation so difficult to resolve? Implementing NextGen software can take up to nine months, during which the company provides new customers with training by the company’s in-house experts both online and in-person.

“The medical community is very broad,” explains Bollinger. “You have people specializing in different types of medical practice – cardiologists have a very different practice to an ophthalmologist or a pediatrician – so the training we provide has to be tailored.”

So, what are examples of healthcare resources? Scheduling NextGen’s training team requires multiple layers of complexity. A trainer must be available but also the right trainer – with the appropriate knowledge of the customer’s requirements – must be available. Enter Timewatch with our dynamic resource scheduling and resource management products.

“We started off using Timewatch’s Windows-based Wallchart product for scheduling because we needed to know what trainer was available depending on what their particular skill set is,” says Bollinger. “We used Wallchart for many years but recently upgraded to their cloud-based resource scheduling product, Whitespace®.”

A Business Does Due Diligence and Decides Timewatch Products Are the Best Option

As all diligent businesses should do, NextGen completed an in-depth analysis of shifting from Timewatch’s server-based Wallchart product to Whitespace. The results saw a resounding advantage in upgrading to a cloud-based product. However, NextGen took its analysis to the next level and investigated what other cloud-based scheduling and resource products were available.

“We looked around at many packages,” says Bollinger. “We always came back to the core functionality in Whitespace® – the easy color-coding, being able to see skillsets and appointments in a simple visual way and being able to have appointments interact with Outlook was key for us.”

Timewatch looks forward to working with longtime customer NextGen for the next 15 years and continue to build a relationship over the following decades. We’re also pleased to be able to assist our customers in helping frontline medical staff in the current healthcare crisis.