SBIR-STTR Award

Scheduling is a manual chore consuming valuable senior staff time and resulting in conflict and inequity. Computerized solutions which optimize scheduling are possible. Such a program, Doctors On Call Schedule (DOCS) which optimizes medium-scale scheduling has been developed and has proved successful in more than two hundred installations. The innovative slotting methodology and the combination of an accounting framework with Monte-Carlo simulation inherent in DOCS may be applicable to largescale scheduling. Efficient use of personnel, improved morale and customer service, as well as a reduction in scheduling time are benefits. Implemented nationwide, DOCS will free 2880 FTEs from administration to productive medical activity. University Hospitals of Cleveland Anesthesia Department serves as a model test site. Every hospital and medical organization will welcome a functional computerized solution to the scheduling burden.National Center for Research Resources (NCRR)

Medical facilities constantly face difficult staff scheduling problems. Every hospital and medical group will welcome a functional, computerized solution that actively optimizes scheduling. The DOCS algorithm - combining an accounting framework, constraints, and a Monte-Carlo stimulation - serves as a new methodology for optimal staff scheduling on a hospital-wide (enterprise) basis. Phase II will develop DOCS/Enterprise, a software application for solving large-scale staff scheduling problems in a hospital environment. DOCS/Enterprise will undergo Alpha testing at two medical institutions to verify the design and functionality and three additional institutions will participate in usability (Beta) testing. Phase I proved that the DOCS algorithm is well-suited for large size medical staff scheduling problems. Since no other commercial software products nor any published algorithms compare to the performance of DOCS, there is a significant commercial opportunity for the development of DOCS/Enterprise. Every hospital will benefit from this staff scheduling system. Savings are $200,000 per year for a typical hospital.Thesaurus termscomputer simulation, computer system design /evaluation, hospital organization /administration computer program /software, hospital personnelNational Center for Research Resources (NCRR)