What does e-commerce have to do with staffing a healthcare organization?

Well, if you look at it through the lens of the growing use of AI, quite a bit.

In a recent interview with HealthcareITNews, Ike Nnah, cofounder and chief technology officer at IntelyCare, a vendor of healthcare staffing and scheduling technology, noted that among other things, e-commerce has already undergone the digital transition through which healthcare is still working.

“(H)ealthcare organizations can be successful in adopting data science practices if they can harness the learnings of e-commerce models, apply them in a thoughtful way that considers their similarities, but tailors their operations to fit the needs of providers and facilities,” Nnah explained, though he was quick to add that this applied primarily to organizations that let staff choose their shifts rather that “brick-and-mortar” staffing agencies.  “When it's more of a shopping-for-shifts experience, e-commerce is a natural place to look for ideas.”

Indeed, he noted, as healthcare providers increasingly take advantage of the freedom to choose their shifts, “the staffing experience starts to look a lot like a shopping experience,” with shifts instead of books or furniture as the product being selected. 

As for the use of AI in particular, Nnah explained that  as algorithms become more sophisticated, they can respond to behavioral patterns businesses – and healthcare organizations – may not have noticed before, ultimately providing more flexibility.

“So, as long as the business creates appropriate bounds for these algorithms, they can work for the company around the clock, they can be scalable, and they can generate positive outcomes for a business and for the future of healthcare staffing.”

For example, he explained, organizations can have thousands of shifts for providers to choose from, but they want to be selective about how they display them in order to ensure their schedule is adequately staffed.

“Making shift recommendations based on a provider's settings and behavior can optimize the shift-filling process,” Nnah said. “This makes it much easier for facilities to fill shifts while providing a better experience for providers to hunt for their perfect schedule.”

Ultimately, of course, the goal is to ensure the satisfaction of the staff while providing the best care possible. As Nnah summed it up, using AI to guide schedules can enable providers to “optimize their earning potential, facilities (to) optimize their schedule, and in turn, floors are well-staffed and patients get the care they deserve.”

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