Hospital administrators have a lot on their plate. From ensuring patients get the best care to managing staff and budgeting, there’s a lot to keep track of. Hospital scheduling software and tools help healthcare facilities manage patient appointments, staff shifts, and room reservations.
Using these tools, hospitals can reduce the time spent manually scheduling tasks and ensure that all appointments are booked accurately and efficiently.
The available software tools can vary significantly in terms of features and usability. To help you make the best decision for your hospital, we have compiled a list of the top 7 hospital scheduling software and tools for 2024.
These programs have been chosen based on their ability to streamline the scheduling process, improve staff members’ communication, and provide a better experience for patients.
What are Hospital Scheduling Software and Tools?
Hospital scheduling software and tools are used to manage patient appointments and help flow patients through the hospital. Hospital scheduling software keeps an electronic schedule of all patients’ appointments.
The software tools are also used to improve patient flow. Tools such as “bed boards” track the status of each bed in the hospital and forecast when beds will be available. This allows patient placement personnel to make better patient admission and discharge decisions.
Other software tools include “nurse call systems” and “point-of-care systems.” Nurse call systems allow nurses to page other nurses for assistance or to report an emergency.
Point-of-care systems allow doctors and nurses to document patient care at the point of care. This information is then automatically entered into the patient’s EHR.
Hospital scheduling software is a valuable resource for any healthcare organization. These tools allow hospitals to streamline their operations and provide the best possible care for their patients.
Why Hospitals Need Scheduling Software and Tools
Hospitals need scheduling software and tools to manage patient appointments, surgeries, and other medical procedures. Here are ten reasons why:
Increased Efficiency
One of the most significant benefits of hospital scheduling software is that it can help increase your hospital’s overall efficiency. Streamlining the scheduling process and automating many associated tasks can free up valuable time and resources that can be better spent elsewhere.
Improved Patient Care
Another significant benefit of using hospital scheduling software is that it can help to improve patient care. By ensuring that all appointments are correctly scheduled and that patients have the necessary information, you can help ensure they receive the best possible care.
Reduced Costs
Hospital scheduling software can also help to reduce costs. The time and effort spent manually keeping records and entering data into spreadsheets can be saved by automating many of the procedures involved in scheduling.
Better Utilization of Resources
Hospital scheduling software can help you utilize your hospital’s resources better. By making sure that appointments are appropriately scheduled and assigned, you can ensure that your staff can see more patients in a day and that your hospital can provide a higher level of care.
Improved Appointment Scheduling
Another great benefit of using hospital scheduling software is that it can help to improve appointment scheduling.
In order to save time and effort, you may guarantee that all appointments are booked and confirmed properly by automating many of the procedures related with appointment scheduling.
Enhanced Communication
Enhancing communication between staff members ensures that all appointments are appropriately communicated; you can be sure that everyone is on the same page and that no one misses an appointment.
This improved communication can lead to better patient care and a more efficient hospital overall.
Greater Flexibility
The software provides greater flexibility when it comes to appointment times and dates. By allowing patients to choose their appointment times, you can make sure that they can schedule their appointments around their busy schedules.
Easier Data Entry
Hospital scheduling software makes data entry more effortless than ever before. Automating data entry allows you to avoid the time-consuming process of keying information in by hand.
Greater Accuracy
Another great benefit of using hospital scheduling software is that it leads to greater accuracy when it comes to patient data entry. You can reduce the likelihood of mistakes and boost hospital productivity by using automation to streamline data entry processes.
Increased Security
Hospital scheduling software helps to increase security in your hospital system. It is important to safeguard sensitive patient information by entering it correctly into your system so that only authorized workers can access it.
As a result, you can provide a higher level of care for your patients while protecting their privacy at the same time.
Hospital scheduling software and tools can help healthcare organizations improve efficiency, visibility, communication, patient experience, and billing processes. Hospitals can provide the best possible care for their patients using these tools.
Top 7 Hospital Scheduling Software and Tools for 2024
1. Celayix
Source: Celayix
Celayix is an advanced hospital scheduling software designed to help healthcare organizations streamline operations. It simplifies managing patient appointments, staff schedules, and billing processes.
Celayix also features advanced analytics tools that allow hospitals to track progress and make informed decisions about patient care.
Pricing: Available on request; however, a 14-day free trial is available.
Notable Features
- Artificial intelligence
- Home care schedule
- Compliant shift schedules
- Control caregiver overtime
- 100% Accurate Payroll & Billing
- Reporting & Statistics
- Time and attendance Integrations
- Location Tracking
- Messaging
- 100% Accurate Time & Attendance
- Mobile access
- Time Off Requests
- Shift Schedule
- Timesheet Management
- Find a replacement function.
Summary
Celayix gives caregivers a lot of benefits, such as real-time alerts when shifts are changed or assigned, automatic reminders for their shifts, flexible self-scheduling, bidding on shifts, swapping shifts, pre-shift health checks, and safety checks when they may be working alone.
Celayix also makes it easy to find competent substitutes for home health caregiver shifts. With Celayix’s scheduling rules engine and AI-based recommendations, you can be confident that your home healthcare shift replacements will be certified and available.
Watch Out For: Most users wish for a training video to use this software’s robust features efficiently.
2.MedEZ
Source: MedEZ
If you’re looking for a complete hospital scheduling solution, MedEZ is worth considering. This software has everything you need to manage appointments, documents, files, and billing all in one place.
The report generator is handy for tracking patient data and improving efficiency. Plus, mobile device access means you can always stay connected, even on the go. The patient notification system is also a nice touch, keeping everyone informed and up-to-date.
The user interface is intuitive and easy to use, and the system is highly configurable to meet the specific needs of each hospital. Overall, MedEZ is an excellent choice for any hospital looking for a complete solution for managing patient care.
Pricing: Available on request based on specific needs.
Notable Features
- Patient navigator
- Chart review
- Barcoded patient management system
- Multi-resources scheduler/ scheduling dashboard
- Pharmacy inventory management system
- Custom clinical note designing
- Automated medication inbox
- Electronic drug administration system
- Role-based security
- Electronic signature or fingerprint authentication
- Alert/notification system
- Employee inbox
- Multidisciplinary DSM5 treatment planner
Summary
MedEZ is a comprehensive hospital scheduling and patient management tool that provides a fully integrated revenue cycle management and billing system. It also includes document creation, transmission capabilities, and patient education materials.
The software is multilingual, making it an excellent choice for hospitals with international patients.
Watch Out For: Every user has access to all information sometimes.
3. CareCloud
Source: CareCloud
CareCloud is a comprehensive hospital scheduling software and tool that can help increase profitability and decrease administrative burdens. It features an easy virtual visits function to connect with patients and secure, accurate, and timely fulfillment of ROI requests.
With CareCloud, you can enjoy group purchasing organization savings on vaccines, supplies, and services. Plus, its business intelligence function provides data-driven decisions. CareCloud is an excellent choice to simplify workflow and boost productivity.
Pricing: Available on request.
Notable Features
- Optimize care delivery
- Electronic health record
- revenue cycle management
- Digital health
- Telehealth
- Patient experience management
- Practice management
- Healthcare analytics
- Workforce extension
- Robotic process automation
- Interoperability
- Home healthcare
Summary
CareCloud is a robust hospital scheduling software that has helped increase profitability and decrease administrative burdens for hospitals across the globe.
With its on-demand professionals and automation capabilities, CareCloud has simplified workflow and boosted productivity for organizations of all sizes.
The platform has also been known to drive better clinical, financial, and operational outcomes. For any organization looking for a behind-the-scenes digital workforce, CareCloud is the answer.
Watch Out For: There’s little to no customization as the software is EHR cloud-based.
4. Kareo
Source: Kareo
Kareo is a hospital scheduling software designed to increase productivity and profitability. The software allows users to schedule appointments, transfer data into revenue opportunities, and optimize provider time. It is also HIPAA compliant and features video capabilities.
Overall, Kareo is an easy-to-use and effective tool that can help improve the quality of patient care.
Pricing: Available on request.
Notable Features
- Patient payment
- Robotic process automation
- Patient statement
- Telehealth
- Care delivery
- Billing and payment
- Insurance reimbursements
Summary
Kareo’s hospital scheduling software and the tool are designed to optimize the provider’s time and improve patient care. The integrated care delivery workflow is easy to use and helps providers maximize insurance reimbursements.
Kareo also offers patient collections, engagement, and education services to help practices increase revenue while maintaining positive patient relationships.
The Patient Collections feature helps end-to-end patient collections, while the Patient Engagement feature provides patients with care instructions and increased practice revenue. Overall, Kareo is a powerful tool that significantly improves patient care.
Watch Out For: Inconsistent customer care.
5. Epic Cadence
Source: Epic Cadence
Epic Cadence is a hospital scheduling software and tool that profoundly engages with patients to maximize revenue and protect your payment. It provides quick, adaptable, and customizable specialty care, processes, and specialist applications.
Its customer service and correspondence management are exceptional, with customers, suppliers, and employers in a single integrated database. It also gives providers a secure web interface to communicate and access managed care data.
Pricing: Available on request.
Notable Features
- Patient Portal
- Epic care
- Specialties and ancillaries
- Telehealth
- Payer-provider collaboration
- Interoperability
- Community Connect
- Artificial intelligence and analytics
- Patient flow
- Health insurance operation
- Bed planning
Summary
The Epic Cadence software automates clinical activity revenue and coding to lower administrative costs. It also prevents missed charges, shortens days for accounts receivable, and boosts overall income.
Epic Cadence puts all of a patient’s unpaid bills, including hospital, doctor, and post-acute expenses, on a single statement to make things easier and better for the patient.
For effective allocation, bed requests made by physicians’ orders, the surgical schedule, and prediction models are displayed next to the bed board. The availability and demand for beds are easily viewed on the Bed Huddle dashboard.
Overall, Epic Cadence is an effective tool that can help hospitals save time and money.
Watch Out For: It is expensive.
6. AdvancedMD
Source: AdvancedMD
AdvancedMD is a hospital scheduling software and tool that offers many features to help reduce your workload, increase patient attendance, and improve your bottom line. Automatic reminders are a great way to keep patients on schedule and minimize missed appointments.
The EHR integration is also beneficial in keeping track of patients’ activities and prescribing medications safely. And the analytics-driven revenue cycle management services make getting paid quickly and efficiently easy.
AdvancedMD is an excellent choice for busy hospital practices looking to streamline their operations.
Pricing: Available on request.
Notable Features
- Practice management
- EHR software
- Manage billing
- Patient engagement
- Patient Portal
- Smart EHR dashboard
- Appointment reminder
- Specialty card
- Reporting and analytics
- ePrescribing
- Reputation management
- Personal telemedicine
Summary
AdvancedMD software streamlines requesting and receiving permission to offer medical care from an insurance company. It also self-schedules appointments using criteria including location, insurance, and availability.
Once an appointment is scheduled, reminders are sent through SMS and email based on plans, circumstances, lab results, and analytics. In addition, AdvancedMD receives requests for prescription renewals, adds them to a list, and sends the patient’s preferred pharmacy the completed Rx renewals.
This seamless and efficient process makes it a valuable tool for both patients and healthcare providers.
Watch Out For: It is expensive.
7. InteliChart
Source: InteliChart
If you’re looking for top-notch hospital scheduling software, look no further than InteliChart. This powerful tool automates manual processes, making it a breeze for medical professionals and office workers.
As a result, physicians can focus more on important tasks like monitoring population health and addressing socioeconomic determinants of health. Additionally, patients will love the virtual care experience that eHealth provides.
There’s no need to download apps or create accounts – patients can simply visit your website or their patient portal when it’s time for their appointment.
InteliChart is the perfect solution for busy hospitals looking to streamline their scheduling process. Schedule a demo today and see for yourself!
Pricing: Available on request.
Notable Features
- Provider workflow
- Patient revenue cycle
- Population health and patient engagement tools
- Appointment management
- Seamless integration
- Real-time availability
- Accurate scheduling
- Alignment with modern expectation
- Virtual waiting room
Summary
The InteliChart tool has many features which make it an excellent choice for a hospital. Intelichart records and maintains all the information about each patient in one place. This helps the staff have all the patient information at their fingertips without having to search through various files.
The Intelichart helps keep track of changes in the schedule. This is very important as there can be many changes in the schedule on any given day.
This software sends reminders to patients about their appointments. This ensures that patients remember their appointments and take advantage of their doctor’s chance.
Overall, InteliChart is an excellent choice for hospital scheduling software. It is easy to use and has many features, making it an ideal choice for any hospital.
Watch Out For: Inconsistent customer care support.
Factors to Consider When Choosing Hospital Scheduling Software and Tools
When choosing hospital scheduling software and tools for your needs, there are some factors to consider.
Scalability
The software must handle the hospital’s current needs and be easily scaled to meet future needs. The software must also handle shift patterns, patient loads, and staff schedules.
The software should be flexible enough to allow for changes in shift patterns, patient loads, and staff schedules. It should also be able to handle last-minute changes.
Ease of Integration With Other Systems
A good hospital scheduling system should be able to interface with Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM) systems, and more. Integration is vital as it allows for more efficient data and information sharing among systems.
The software should also integrate with other clinical systems, such as laboratory results, radiology images, patient data, etc. This integration is crucial as it helps keep all the necessary information in one place and ensures a seamless transition for staff and patients.
Features Tailored for Hospital Use
When choosing a hospital scheduling software, it’s important to consider features tailored for hospital use. The software should allow you to assign patients to specific rooms and staff members, track bed availability, and generate real-time reports.
This ensures that everyone knows their responsibilities and that patients receive the care they need. In addition, the software should have a communication channel so you can easily communicate changes and updates to the schedule.
Price and Value for Money
Determining a budget before choosing the right hospital scheduling software and tools is essential. There are many options on the market, some of which may be more expensive than others. However, you should choose one that provides value for money.
You should also consider any additional costs, such as setup fees or maintenance charges.
Security & Privacy Protection
When choosing hospital scheduling software and tools, security and privacy protection are important factors to consider. Your patients’ personal and medical information must be kept secure, and you need to be sure that your scheduling system will not put this information at risk.
There are a few things to look for when evaluating the security of hospital scheduling software.
- Check to see if the software is compliant with HIPAA regulations. This will ensure that your patient’s information is protected.
- Make sure that the software uses encryption to protect data in transit.
- Confirm that the software has a robust user authentication system to prevent unauthorized access.
In addition to security, privacy is also important when choosing hospital scheduling software. You must ensure that your patient’s information will be confidential and not shared with any third parties without their consent.
To ensure privacy, look for scheduling software that gives you granular control over who has access to which parts of the system. Additionally, confirm that the software has a robust auditing and logging capability so that you can track who accessed which data and when.
Reporting Capabilities
A sound hospital scheduling system should allow you to generate various reports to help track and improve hospital operations. For example, you should be able to create reports on patient wait times, appointment utilization, staff productivity, and more.
These reports can be beneficial in identifying areas for improvement and ensuring that your hospital runs as efficiently as possible. Therefore, choose a hospital scheduling system that offers robust reporting capabilities.
User-Friendliness of the Software Interface
The interface is the part of the software that you and your staff will use to input and access data. A well-designed interface will be easy to use and understand, minimizing training time and errors.
Look for an intuitive and logical interface with clearly labeled fields and buttons. It should be easy to navigate, with a consistent layout across all screens. And it should be responsive so that you can quickly get the information you need without clicking through many menus.
Taking the time to evaluate the user-friendliness of the software interface can help you choose a scheduling solution that will meet your needs and those of your staff.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right hospital scheduling software and tools for your organization can help simplify and streamline processes, reduce costs, improve patient satisfaction, and ensure compliance with regulations.
When evaluating options, it is essential to consider factors such as cost and value for money, security and privacy protection, reporting capabilities, and user-friendliness of the software interface. A careful evaluation of these factors will help you find a scheduling solution that is right for your organization.
With the right hospital scheduling software and tools in place, you can be sure that your hospital runs efficiently and effectively now and into the future.
