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CLIENT STORIES
IN THE MEDIA
Linking staffing to the quality of work/life
October 18, 2016 – Rita Barry and Brian Sheinfeld of Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State Health, teamed up with Jackie Larson to write about their initiative to improve the working environment for nurses through the formation of a Quality of Work Life Council. The council looks at a number of issues that affect the well being of nurses, one of which being the the staffing metrics that affect morale. This article digs into those metrics that make up their 'Quality of Work Life Report Card.'
Rethinking labor management for medical groups
May 14, 2015 – At the Becker's Hospital Review 6th Annual Meeting in Chicago on May 8, Jackie Larson and Sherri Luchs (Penn State Hershey Medical Group), discussed how the transition from a traditional fixed staffing model to a variable staffing model, along with the adoption of technology and operational best practices, can improve quality and reduce costs.
This article from Emily Rappleye, at Becker's Hospital Review, touches on the uniqueness of the project currently under way at Penn State Hershey Medical Group, laying out some of the challenges and successes to date, including increased fill rate and a reduction in hours worked per patient visit.
Bracing for revolt and reaping buy-in
December 19, 2014 – The American Medical Group Associations' (AMGA) Group Practice Journal has just published a story on the series of initiatives Penn State Hershey Medical Group undertook with Avantas to more effectively manage the workforce of their network of 50 practice sites. For Penn State Hershey Medical Group this involved, among other strategies, the adopting of patient-centric staffing coupled with a variable staffing model – two revolutionary concepts in the outpatient world. This article describes the strategies implemented and the efforts Penn State Hershey undertook to gain physician and leadership buy-in.
This article was co-authored by Sherri Luchs, the founding chief administrative officer of the Medical Group, and Jackie Larson. (AMGA membership is required to read the online version.)
Striking a balance between cost and quality of care
September 30, 2014 – Healthcare Informatics has just published an interview article featuring Sherri Luchs, chief administrative officer for the Penn State Hershey Medical Group. In the article Sherri explains how visibility into staffing via technology, analytics, predictive modeling, and centralized resource management is helping transform Penn State Hershey's labor management strategy and has lead to significant savings.
Redesigning labor management for enhanced quality of care
August 6, 2014 – The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) has just published a case study highlighting the process and success of the system-wide labor management redesign initiative underway at Penn State Hershey, with a focus on its more than 50 medical group practice sites. Co-authored by Sherri Luchs, the founding chief administrative officer of the Medical Group, and Jackie Larson, Senior Vice President at Avantas, this article provides an in depth, first-hand account of the challenges, results to date, and the future of the initiative.
Versions of this piece were simultaneously published in MGMA Connexion (online) and MGMA Connection Magazine (print). (MGMA membership is required to read the online version.)
Penn State Hershey Medical Group Realizes More Than $800,000 in Savings Over One Year with Avantas' Labor Management Solutions
August 12, 2014 – Penn State Hershey Medical Group has saved more than $800,000 in one year since implementing Avantas' consulting services and healthcare enterprise labor management solutions.
Sherri Luchs, founding Chief Administrative Officer for the Penn State Hershey Medical Group, states, 'We knew that our workforce was one of our most valuable resources, but we needed a way to standardize our scheduling policies to create efficiencies across all practice sites. Working with Avantas, we implemented best practices and redesigned our labor management strategy not only to achieve savings but to increase our staffing flexibility to meet fluctuating patient demand.'
Rethinking Labor Management – four part series from Medical Practice Insider
Part 1: Rethinking Labor Management
November 5, 2013 – Co-authored by James Fenush Jr. and Jackie Larson from Avantas, this first article provides an overview of the processes and tools Penn State Health is implementing in its journey to transform its approach to managing its workforce.
November 27, 2013 – Co-authored by Sherri Luchs and Jackie Larson from Avantas, this article focuses on the efforts conducted within the Medical Group to gain physician and staff buy-in for what is a massive shift in practices and culture.
December 27, 2013 – Co-authored by Sherri Luchs, James Fenush Jr., MS, RN, and Jackie Larson, this chapter focuses on Smart Square and how Penn State Health is utilizing it to achieve their goals.
Part 4: Outcomes and Next Steps
January 31, 2014 – In this fourth and final part of the series from Medical Practice Insider, Sherri Luchs, James Fenush Jr., MS, RN, and Jackie Larson shares to-date results and provides a look at what will happen next.
ADDITIONAL MEDIA
Penn State Health Medical Group
Strategies, Technology, and the Transformation of Care
In a response to increased labor costs, anticipated decreases in reimbursements, and turnover and staff satisfaction issues, this 60-plus site medical group undertook a historic endeavor to change its strategy, processes, and operational vision. This included the utilization of predictive modeling, workforce analytics, and the implementation of a variable staffing model.