KLAS Study: For Staff Scheduling, Providers Choose Integration Over Usability

OREM, UT, October 15, 2010 (Press-News.org) Although providers prefer the functionality of standalone staff-scheduling products, they're purchasing and maintaining integrated workforce management (WFM) solutions, according to a new report from KLAS.

The report, "Staff Scheduling: The Rising Demand for Workforce Management Suites", comprises interviews from 170 healthcare providers about five staff-scheduling products. Respondents rated the three standalone products higher, but the integrated solutions have sold more than twice as many solutions over recent years.

"Kronos and API are leveraging their Time and Attendance [T&A] bases to gain and keep new clients, often winning over other vendors' customers with their integrated suites," said Lorin Bird, KLAS research director and author of the report. "This puts pressure on other vendors to integrate their products, but maintain current levels of functionality and service."

According to the report, other vendors could regain provider attention, as some show signs of moving towards more comprehensive and integrated WFM solutions, particularly McKesson and Lawson.

"Ninety percent of respondents were nurses, and they favored the functionality of McKesson, Clairvia, and Concerro," Bird said. "If these vendors continue to perform at a high level but are also able to deliver on the T&A side, the tables could turn. But, as of right now, only McKesson offers a T&A solution."

The top-rated vendor in "Staff Scheduling: The Rising Demand for Workforce Management Suites" was McKesson, with a score of 86.3 out of 100; it was followed by Clairvia and Concerro, which tied with scores of 81.1. API and Kronos followed with scores of 79.5 and 79, respectively.

For more information about the staff-scheduling market, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of participating vendors, "Staff Scheduling: The Rising Demand for Workforce Management Suites" is available to healthcare providers online for a significant discount off the standard retail price. To purchase the full report, healthcare providers and vendors can visit www.KLASresearch/reports.com.

KLAS is a research firm specializing in monitoring and reporting the performance of healthcare vendors. KLAS' mission is to improve delivery, by independently measuring vendor performance for the benefit of our healthcare provider partners, consultants, investors, and vendors. Working together with executives from over 4500 hospitals and over 2500 clinics, KLAS delivers timely reports, trends, and statistics, which provide a solid overview of vendor performance in the industry. KLAS measures performance of software, professional services, and medical equipment vendors. For more information, go to www.KLASresearch.com, email marketing@KLASresearch.com, or call 1-800-920-4109 to speak with a KLAS representative.