{"id":26951,"date":"2025-02-21T16:01:08","date_gmt":"2025-02-21T22:01:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lightning-bolt.com\/?post_type=case-study&p=26951"},"modified":"2025-09-23T10:02:28","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T15:02:28","slug":"automated-provider-scheduling-psychiatry-how-to","status":"publish","type":"case-study","link":"https:\/\/www.lightning-bolt.com\/case-study\/automated-provider-scheduling-psychiatry-how-to\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Simplify Psychiatry Residency Schedules"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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“Our clinical mission can\u2019t be our focus if we\u2019re focused on all these operational logistical pieces. We need tools that will free up mind space and time to pursue and grow our clinical mission.”<\/p>\n\"\"\u2014Nadia Alamo, Project Manager<\/strong><\/cite>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Background<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Department of Psychiatry at UNC Chapel Hill is the second largest department within the School of Medicine. As a critical mental healthcare provider for North Carolina\u2019s 11 million residents, the department manages a network of over 200 providers, including attendings, residents, and fellows, across inpatient, outpatient, and specialized treatment programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Key Results<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\u221e to 2x<\/span>
Reduced schedule publishing from continuous to two times annually<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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20+<\/span>
Supported schedules for 20+ new physicians annually<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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88%<\/span>
Decrease in time spent creating schedules<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

1<\/span>
Source of scheduling truth for all<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

41<\/span>
Custom schedule views implemented<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Challenges<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The scope of operations continues to expand rapidly, as Project Manager, Nadia Alamo explained:
“I\u2019ve been with the department for four years, and we\u2019ve hired 20 new MDs every year since I\u2019ve started, which is unheard of. We used to hire about four per year. We\u2019re growing at an astronomical rate.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

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Fragmented Schedule Management<\/strong>
\nPreviously, the department struggled with decentralized scheduling. Faculty schedules were managed by 25 different administrators using various tools ranging from legacy software to spreadsheets. Three chief residents were also tasked with creating the residency program schedules. This created numerous operational challenges:<\/p>\n